Referring to the event as ‘a data cloud that changes shape’, the performative experience brings together multiple layers and interconnections to epplore both tangible and intangible frictions, “generating a queer space-time network where streams of information converge and alchemical transformations take place.”
Quick, brief, tiny reminder on one of last year’s best exhibitions in Madrid which closes in a couple of weeks: Red Cavalry, “Creation and Power in Soviet Russia between 1917 and 1945”.
As part of the already finished Dual cultural year Spain-Russia which included an extensively list of events and exchanges between both countries (probably the Hermitage-Prado Museum painting exchanges was the most noticeable) La Casa Encendida decided to contribute the program with their late exhibition on Soviet art.
“Red Cavalry” focuses on the period of time extending from the march of the First Cavalry Army in the Russian Civil War (1918-1921) to the intervention of the Red Cavalry in the Second World War (1941-1945). The title is also a reference to two homonymous masterpieces from the same period: the collection of short stories by Isaak Babel and the famous painting by Malevich, which opens the exhibition.
Currated by Rosa Ferré, RC offers a cultural and artistic overview of Soviet Russia in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to exploring the collaboration—voluntary and enthusiastic in some cases, imposed and forced in others—of writers, musicians, artists, theater directors and film-makers in the construction of socialism (its experiments, commitments and sufferings), it also analyses the cultural policies pursued by Lenin, Stalin and their inner circle.
Those 3 decades was a real explosion of talent in Russia, some consider no other country has ever experienced such a concentration of talent… you’ll certainly be willing to dive deeper into each of the artists’ own careers and explore their legacy… we can’t think of a better way to discover the soviet creative power than to visit the exhibition yourself, 2 weeks left!! (oh and for those of you who understand Spanish there’s this dedicated documentary by TVE available).
Evolution, dissolution, memory, fragility and decomposition are some of the themes found in on&on. The curators Flora Fairbairn and Olivier Varenne have chosen 14 artists from different generations and countries to explore their work.
A room bathed in chocolate, birds emitting sounds through five guitars and three double basses, rotting red fruit, chemical flowers taking over an office desk, a giant block of melting ice, a room in which the lights flicker on and off, improvised piano recitals, matter altered by micro-organisms and the experience of a boat ride are some of the pieces on show…
This brief exhibition attempts to jog the visitor’s personal memory and demonstrate the inevitable decadence of nature, which transforms as time passes. None of the pieces on display aim to freeze an image for posterity, but rather to open the observer’s eyes to the magic of the moment, the poetry of the present, with its accompanying shifts and changes. Every time the visitor comes to see the show it will have changed, it will never be same. The only truly enduring element is the change, the process, the transformation itself.
This evolution of the installation has been achieved in two ways: by using perishable materials such as chocolate, fruit, living organisms, ice and wax, and by using fleeting actions in the performances offered as part of the show.
The participating artists, of varying nationalities and ages, are Michel Blazy, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Martin Creed, Eloise Fornieles, Andy Goldsworthy, Anya Gallaccio, Kitty Kraus, Claire Morgan, Tino Sehgal, Chiharu Shiota, Roman Signer, Steiner/Lenzlinger and Gregorio Zanon.
Ephemeral art which invites the participation of the audience in order to become solid and enduring. The exhibition started yesterday and will stay until January 16th. And as it’s @ La Casa Encendida, it’s of course… free (more info on their website). Enjoy!
Curated by Flora Fairbairn and Olivier Varenne, the exhibition on&on explores the ephemeral nature of art and features works by 13 international artists
A room bathed in chocolate, birds emitting sounds through five guitars and three double basses, rotting red fruit, chemical flowers taking over an office desk, a giant block of melting ice, a room in which the lights flicker on and off, improvised piano recitals, matter altered by micro-organisms and the experience of a boat ride are some of the pieces on show
§The works in on&on, most of them site-specific installations created for La Casa Encendida, change with each passing hour, minute and second. They do not remain intact for a single moment, but rather evolve with the passage of time.This ongoing transformation stimulates the observer’s senses, evoking memories and past sensations.Thus, it is the visitor’s participation which allows ephemeral art to become solid and enduring
The participating artists, of varying nationalities and ages, are Michel Blazy, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Martin Creed, Eloise Fornieles, Andy Goldsworthy, Anya Gallaccio, Kitty Kraus, Claire Morgan, Tino Sehgal, Chiharu Shiota, Roman Signer, Steiner/Lenzlinger and Gregorio Zanon