Horea Avram on Thu, 7 May 2009 15:59:56 +0200 (CEST)


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[Nettime-ro] “Daily Carnival” - Exhibition Marius Tanasescu, curators Horea Avram, Patricia Teodorescu


*ARTE Gallery*

*2-4 Episcopiei St**, Bucharest, Romania***

*www.arte.com.ro* <http://www.arte.com.ro/>* ; *office@arte.com.ro**

+0721.482.297 / +0729.822.072

*www.mariustana.net* <http://www.mariustana.net/>**

*Opening: **May 8, 7:00pm**.***

*Marius Tanasescu***

*Daily Carnival*

*Curators: Horea Avram, Patricia Teodorescu*

* *

****



Marius Tanasescuâs âDaily Carnivalâ is a provocative visual celebrationâin a
sarcastic keyâof the organic, the repetition, the color and the body.

A âCarnivalâ is about masquerade, as one might expect, but here we have no
masks. What suggests the masquerade, however, is (in the work âEvery Day is
a new Dayâ) the artistâs face photographed daily at the first moment of the
day, over almost a year. The result is a large composition of more than 300
shots: âdifference and repetitionâ at its best. The work is a resoluteâif
somehow absurdâexercise of self examination, a way of revis(it)ing the
self-portrait genre in the age of âmechanical reproductionâ (yes, the images
are film-shot photography).

            âCarnivalâ addresses also the body, in the most physical way. In
the video âMe and My Arrowsâ the artist performs almost naked, at minus 8Â
C, an âiconographically correctâ Saint Sebastian. The posture is known: the
undressed body fastened to a tree, angelic, impassive face, towers and
buildings in the back suggesting an Italian Renaissance urban vista.
However, there is an ironical twist here: the body is âpunishedâ not by
arrows, but by harmless, soft paint-balls. A gesture which undermines with a
single move both established Renaissanceâs representational clichÃs and
Modernismâs canonical âaction paintingâ. And there is also a comment on the
medium itself: instead of painting, the absurd story is told via a clip-like
edited digital video, with a captivating electro-acoustic sound-track (by
Gilles Dumont). The work is therefore a critical reflection not on martyrdom
and hagiography, but rather on the status of the image and art history in
general.

Yet another (photographical) dimension of the carnivalesque enters the
sceneâcarnival as the spectacle of the body: an almost nude female body
submerged, or rather suspended in a dream-like liquid scene. This is
âMermaidâ, the very image of seduction and enchantment, an image of another
type of reality which is otherwise suppressed during non-carnival existence.

But âcarnivalâ is also the celebration of â*carne*â, of the meat and flesh
before fasting, and so is the series entitled âInterior Designâ: photographs
of animal viscera seen in their disturbing details. While paying homage to
the whole tradition of carnival, the series challenges and reinvents
symbols, proposing a visual critique of the idea of consumption.

Repetition, as we see, plays a key role in Marius Tanasescu`s work. But
apart from the multiple self-portraits, there are other series whose visual
effect is based on repetitional strategies. Many of these compositions are
accumulations of things as diverse as eggs, lights, beetles, grains or fish
scales, all of them decorative if not spectacular fragments of the daily
world. The title of the exhibition itself comes to add further dimensions to
the idea of repetition and seriality. A carnival on a daily basis...

Unlike the traditional carnival, however, Marius Tanasescuâs âDaily
Carnivalâ is not so much a farewell to the flesh but rather its celebration.


*Horea Avram*



 Â         *Marius Tanasescu* (b. 1972) is a Montreal and Paris-based artist
and art historian who works mainly in photography, collage and video. His
work has been shown in galleries in Bucharest, Montreal, and Tucson.



         *Horea Avram* (b. 1969) is an independent art critic and curator,
based in Montreal, Canada. PhD candidate (ABD) in Art History and
Communication Studies at McGill University. He was the curator for the
Romanian participation at the 1999 edition of the Venice Biennale.



         *Patricia Teodorescu* is a Bucharest-based artist and curator. She
works in various media such as photography, video, painting, sculpture and
installation. She participated in group and solo exhibitions in New York,
London, Berlin, Chicago, Bucharest, Vienna, Luxembourg.



         â*Arteâ Gallery* is an artist-run center, coordinated by the
artist Patricia Teodorescu. The gallery is equally an exhibition space, a
dialogic site and a creative hub, a sort of work in progress forâand with
the participation ofâartists, curators, theoreticians and art-consumers in
general.













*Galeria ARTE *

*Episcopiei nr. 2-4, Bucuresti, Romania*

*www.arte.com.ro* <http://www.arte.com.ro/>* ; *office@arte.com.ro**

+0721.482.297 / +0729.822.072

*www.mariustana.net* <http://www.mariustana.net/>**

*Vernisaj: **8 mai, 19:00h*

* *

*Marius Tanasescu***

*Daily Carnival*

* *

*Curatori: Horea Avram, Patricia Teodorescu*

* *

****

Proiectul lui Marius Tanasescu, âDaily Carnivalâ este o provocatoare
celebrare vizualÃ, Ãntr-o cheie sarcasticÃ, a organicului, a repeÅiei, a
culorii Èi a corpului.

âCarnavalulâ ar trebui sà fie, aÈa cum e de aÈteptat, o mascaradÃ, insà aici
nu avem de-a face cu mÃsti. Dacà totuÈi existà o sugestie a mÃstii, aceasta
este datà (in lucrarea âEvery Day is A New Dayâ) de insÃÈi faÅa artistului
fotografiatà la primul moment al zilei, timp de aproape un an. Rezultatul
este o vastà compoziÅie cuprinzÃnd peste 300 de imagini: âdiferenÅà si
repetiÅieâ la superlativ. Lucrarea este un perseverent exerciÅiu â chiar
dacà absurd â al autoexaminÃrii, o manierà de a revizita Èi de a reevalua
genul portretului Ãn epoca âreproducerii mecaniceâ (intr-adevÃr, imaginile
sunt fotografii fÃcute pe film).

âCarnavalulâ implicà Ãnsà Èi corpul, Èi asta la modul cel mai fizic cu
putinÅÃ. Ãn video-ul âMe and My Arrowsâ, artistul performeazÃ, aproape nud,
la minus 8 grade Celsius, un SfÃnt Sebastian corect din punct de vedere
iconografic. Postura este cea cunoscutÃ: corpul dezbrÃcat legat de un copac,
faÅa angelicà Èi impasibilÃ, clÃdiri Èi âcampanileâ Ãn fundal care sugereazÃ
un peisaj urban renascentist. Dar, cu toatà aceastà adecvare, scena are mai
degrabà o ÃncÃrcÃturà ironicÃ: corpul nu este lovit de sÃgeÅi, ci de
inofensive bile de *paint-ball*. Un gest ce submineazÃ, dintr-o singurÃ
miÈcare, atÃt cliÈeele reprezentaÅionale ale RenaÈterii, cÃt Èi canoanele
moderniste ale *action-painting*-ului. Mai mult, lucrarea e Èi un comentariu
asupra mediumului ÃnsuÈi: âpovesteaâ nu e spusà cu mijloacele picturii, ci
cu cele ale video-ului, ale unui video editat dinamic, âtÃiatâ in stilul
clipurilor, susÅinut de fascinanta muzicà electro-acusticà a lui Gilles
Dumont. Lucrarea este astfel o reflecÅie criticà nu atÃt asupra martiriului
Èi a hagiografiei, cÃt asupra statutului imaginii Èi a istoriei artei Ãn
general.

Mai e Ãnsà Èi o altà dimesniune (fotograficÃ) a carnavalescului â carnavalul
ca spectacol al corpului: un corp feminin, aproape nud, imersat sau mai
degrabà suspendat Ãntr-o scenà lichidà ce sugereazà visul. E vorba de
âSirenaâ, imaginea insÃÈi a seducÅiei Èi a vrajei, imaginea unui alt tip de
realitate altminteri reprimatà in viaÅa ânormalÃâ din afara carnavalului.

Dar âCarnavalulâ este Èi sÃrbÃtoarea âcÃrniiâ, a hranei Èi a trupului
Ãnaintea postului. Aceasta este de altfel zona Ãn care se plaseazà seria de
lucrÃri âDesign interiorâ: fotografii infÃÅiÈÃnd maruntaie de animale redate
in detaliile lor tulburÃtoare. Dacà pe undeva aduce un omagiu Ãntregii
tradiÅii a carnavalului, aceastà serie trece dincolo de lucrurile consacrate
chestionÃnd, provoacÃnd Èi reinventÃnd simboluri, de fapt, propunÃnd o
criticà vizualà a ÃnsÃÈi ideii de consum.

RepetiÅia joacÃ, aÈa dupà cum am amintit deja, un rol esenÅial Ãn creaÅia
lui Marius Tanasescu. Ãnsà pe lÃngà seria de autoportrete muliple, avem de-a
face cu alte lucrÃri ale cÃror efect se bazeazà pe strategii repetiÅionale.
Multe dintre aceste compoziÅii se structureazà pe acumulÃri ce adunà obiecte
sau imagini diverse, cum ar fi ouÃ, lumini, gÃndaci, grÃunÅe, sau solzi,
Ãnscriind Ãn imagine fragmente decorative, chiar spectaculare, ale vieÅii
curente. Titlul expoziÅiei insuÈi vine sà adauge noi dimensiuni ideii de
repetiÅie Èi serialitate. Un carnaval de fiecare zi...

Ãnsà spre deosebire de carnavalul tradiÅional, âDaily Carnivalâ al lui
Marius Tanasescu reprezintà nu atÃt un rÃmas bun adresat cÃrnii, ci mai
degrabà o celebrare a acesteia.

*Horea Avram*



 Â         *Marius Tanasescu* (n. 1972) este artist si istoric de arta.
Traieste si lucreaza la Montreal si Paris. Mediile predilecte de exprimare
artistica sunt fotografia, colajul si video-ul. Lucrarile lui au fost expuse
la Bucuresti, Montreal si Tucson.



         *Horea Avram* (n. 1969) este critic de arta si curator independent
din 1996. Curator pentru Bienala de la Venetia in 1999. In prezent este
doctorand in istoria artei si comunicare la McGill University, in Montreal,
Canada. Cerceteaza si scrie despre noile media, Mixed Reality, instalatie,
reprezentare, estetica si toate legaturile dintre acestea.



         *Patricia Teodorescu* este artist si curator, managerul galeriei
âArteâ. Lucreaza si creaza la Bucuresti. Abordeaza medii diverse cum ar fi
fotografia, video-ul, pictura, sculptura si instalatia. A participat in
expozitii personale si de grup la New York, Londra, Berlin, Chicago,
Bucuresti, Viena, Luxemburg.



         â*Arteâ Gallery* este o galerie independenta coordonata de
Patricia Teodorescu. Galeria este in acelasi timp un spatiu expozitional si
un loc al dialogului si al creatiei, un *work in progress* realizat cu
participarea artistilor, curatorilor, teoreticienilor si a consumatorilor de
arta in general.
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