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C110 review
São
Paulo: Bienal
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| Stephen Loughman: Untitled, 2000-2002,
91.5 x 213.5 cm, oil on canvas, courtesy Kevin Kavanagh Gallery |
One hundred and thirty-five artists, fifty-five
national representations, 670,000 visitors in 2002, the São
Paulo Bienal is second only in the world to Venice, both
in size and reputation. Unlike Venice, the vast majority of the
work is housed in a single venue, the modernistic 25,000 square
meters of the Oscar Niemeyer pavilion, an iconic structure in
its own right. This Bienal is vast, a reflection perhaps of the
heaving metropolis of the city itself, which at times makes Manhattan
feel like Mullingar. As with all events of this size, the reputations
and standards are mixed. This year's theme, 'Free Territory',
evokes various dimensions, geographical, social, as well as the
aesthetic - a theme, according to curator Alfons Hug, chosen "to
enable a wide range of artistic positions to feel comfortable,"
or a vast and mixed array without a decisive curatorial voice?
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| Valeria Gonçalvez: Dennis McNulty in
performance, São Paulo, 2004; courtesy Valeria Gonçalvez/AE |
Ireland's entry, under the direction of Valerie
Connor, consisted of three artistic contributions, from Stephen
Loughman, Denis McNulty and desperate optimists (Christine Molloy
and Joe Lawlor). Only Loughman's work was presented inside the
Bienal building, an unusual move given that no real cohesive fringe
events exist and many visitors seem loath to travel from the venue.
Loughman's paintings in the Bienal portray wide-ranging subjects,
including park scenes, museum displays and domestic space. They
exist as independent works, but collectively address the representation
of space as a subject matter. There is an underlying theatricality
in these works, the settings for some unknown events, missed occasions,
inviting the viewer's participation in the scene itself.
Denis McNulty's soundwork, part of the project
http://alpha60.info,
was performed at several venues in São Paulo, most notably
at a public swimming pool designed by Icaro de Castro Mello and
under the outdoor marquees in the park beside the Bienal building.
Including recordings made in São Paulo, the piece was part
soundwork, part performance, the artist altering various pitches
and variations of the sound, creating a crescendoing wall of noise
that filled the performance space. The settings for these performances
added to the spectacle, the marquees creating a special stage
for the artist, as the various park users sped by on rollerblades,
bicycles and skateboards, becoming as much of a part of the performance
as the movement of sound through the space.
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| desperate optimists: Civic life:
Moore Street, 2004, film stills from 35mm anamorophic
film, colour, sound, 5 min 25 sec; stills by Lip Sync Post,
London; courtesy Artworking |
desperate optimists', Civic life : Moore
Street, is a 35mm, single tracking shot filmed on Moore Street
on Dublin's Northside. It features members of Arambe, Dublin's
first African theatre group, and touches on themes of emigration,
belonging, exile and the city. The silent characters walk in the
twilit street, the haunting voice of an African woman whispers
to a loved one of her sense of loss in her self-impose exile.
The street itself reflects the entrepreneurial spirit of the new
migrants, with its various foodstores, restaurants, cutprice telephone
and internet providers. Moore Street, although essential Dublin,
becomes a generic city location, eerily quiet, uninhabited but
for the silent figures. The setting is universal, just as are
the poignant themes that this moving piece evokes. It will be
shown in Dublin later this year and more than warrants a viewing.
Other highlights at the Bienal include Mike Nelson's architectural intervention, David Batchelor's neon sculpture, video and film work by Martin Sastre, Frederic Mosea and Philippe Schwinger, and Melik Ohania. Highlights in painting include Inka Essenhigh and Pablo Cardoso; the better photography comes from Alec Soth, Thomas Struth and a curated African photography section.
Ruth Carroll is exhibitions curator at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin.
Bienal, São Paulo, September - December 2004
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