C&C

Curate & Critique is one of the theory assessments this year, where we create our own imaginary exhibition. Five artists (including ourselves) and a exhibiting space need to be chosen, and talked about in a ten minute seminar with a powerpoint presentation.

Whilst researching for possible works to analyse in my seminar I came across Argentinian  collaborative artists Laura Nieves and Flopa Garcia. This piece is called Enteslantentes, in english Breathing Beings, a floor installation composed of electronics and paper. In Laura Nieve’s words -

 ‘Beings that breath and beat constantly. The synchronization being an almost uncomfortable rhythmic perfection, threatening to tear at any moment.’

 The encounter at that given time between audience and work may be to question breath or the everyday due to their repetitive similarities. Breathing Beings seems at first to focus on unchanging routine, however as each paper ‘being’ fills with air and then crumbles back down they discreetly show constant change when new cracks and folds appear on the surface.

#11 "Entes Latentes" - telefe from arteBA on Vimeo.


The other four other works I chose are Gabriel Orozco's Breath On a Piano, Mike Parr's 100 Breaths,  Alicia Frankovich's Slow Dance and my own Synchronise Me.

 Slow Dance. Alicia Frankovich. (2011).

 Engineered mechanism with motor, string and wood.

      Each breath is in ways the same, yet it is changed, whether from physical activity, emotion, health or necessity. There is difference in each breath, and that difference transforms with every new encounter. Alicia Frankovich’s Slow Dance depicts that changing repetition as it rises up and down in a never-ending motion. In constant dialogue with the spectator, not one moment is identical to the last. Slow Dance could be understood as a heavy metaphor of life with its ups and downs, as breaths or as a simple demonstration of movement. That’s what makes it successful when speaking of the encounter between piece and audience, its basic composition allows for almost any context to be applied to it and therefore any person to have an experience with it.

Here are a few images I made to give an idea of what the exhibition I created would look like. The space I chose is El Mirador Gallery in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A non-profit space with is primary focus surrounding contemporary art. 
On the image on the left I have place, Mike Parr's 100 Breaths on the far left wall, Laura Nieves & Flopa Garcias Enteslantentes on the floor space, and my own Synchronise Me in the corner by the stairs. 

 

Synchronise Me
Josie Do Nizza

On the second floor of the gallery I place Alicia Frankovich's Slow Dance (left) and Gabriel Orozco's Breath On a Piano (right). I did this so they would contrast one another Frankovich exploring constant action and Orozco capturing a moment in time, creating a dialogue between presence and absence.