Essays
Ghada Amer, Kukje Gallery, Seúl, Corea, 2013
Ghada Amer, Kukje Gallery, Seúl, Corea, 2013 The connecting thread between the paintings and sculptures by Ghada Amer presented at her third exhibition in Korea is neither conceptual nor thematic, but rather the pondered result of a section in time, that of the period 2011-2013, that clearly defines the creative moment at which the artist …
Nikos Navridis, Eleusis, Greece, 2013
Nikos Navridis Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better. The artistic project conceived by Nikos Navridis for Eleusis has undergone several phases before crystallising in a unique and significant intervention. As in an alchemical process, combustion, purification and sublimation have led Navridis to summarise his reflections in a forceful proposal, both as regards the specific site …
What to Think, Caixaforum Barcelona, 2012
What to Think ‘The sweetest life comes when one senses nothing.” Sophocles, Ajax “He who understands has wings.”2 Pancanvimsha Brahmana (XIV, I, 13) According to quantum physics, observation and thought create reality; the universe exists when it is perceived. If we are to create a more beautiful and fairer life, if that is what we …
What to Do, CaixaForum, Barcelona, 2013
What to Do ‘Today is always still.’ 1 Antonio Machado, Nuevas canciones (I9I7-I930) ‘Sit down, sit down, sit down. A path will always open up for you.’ Akira Kurosawa, To Live, 19 52 Where to start? And what to do? are the forceful questions that Lenin used as a title for an article and a …
TRA. Edge of Becoming, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, Italy, 2011
TRA. Edge of Becoming, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, Italy, 2011 The River of Endless Love 1 Rosa Martínez “My art is grounded in the belief of one universal energy which runs through everything: from insect to man, from man to spectre, from spectre to plant, from plant to galaxy.” Ana Mendieta, 1983 “A Selection of Statements …
Centre Of Gravity, Istanbul Modern, Turkey (2005-2006)
Centre Of Gravity, Istanbul Modern, Turkey (2005-2006) Centro di gravità permanente (A permanent centre of gravity) is the title of an Italian song composed in the eighties by Franco Battiato, which alludes to the need for assurances, for ways of escaping from the confusion and uncertainty that surround us. As well as surfacing in pop music, …
Pilar Albarracín, Altadís. París, 2003
Pilar Albarracín – One and a Thousand Women A woman lies in a pool of blood in a street in Seville. Another appears camouflaged among some dummies in the window of a big department store in the same city. On top of a car belonging to some Moroccan immigrants there is a girl in traditional dress, …
Cai Guo-Qiang, Kunsthalle Wien, Austria, 2002
Cai Guo-Qiang, Kunsthalle Wien, Austria, 2002 Between Seduction and Terror Even if the universe were to annihilate mankind, Pascal tells us, man would still be much greater than that which kills him, since he knows he is to die. The universe knows nothing, says Pascal; our dignity lies in our thought. Despite this tragic awareness …
“Think It Over” From Words of Wisdom. A Curator’s Vade Mecum on Contemporary Art. New York, 2001
“Think It Over” From Words of Wisdom. A Curator’s Vade Mecum on Contemporary Art. New York, 2001 Oscar Wilde said one should never give advice, especially good advice. And yet, here I am, attempting to indicate the best roads for an exhibition organiser to take. In my case, being a curator was not the result …