Raum Gallery
Tirana
Rr. Vaso Pasha 8, Ish Blloku

Fani Zguro
dal 24/5/2009 al 24/6/2009
355 (0)693640226
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Fani Zguro


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Fani Zguro
Heldi Pema



 
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24/5/2009

Fani Zguro

Raum Gallery, Tirana

In A Blind Of An Eye is the first solo exhibition in Tirana of the albanian artist Fani Zguro. For this show the artist presents the videos: 'U Turn', a new version of filmmaker Oliver Stone's homonymous movie; 'Pushing An Elephant Upwards', shot during a night car trip; 'Street By Street'; 'In A Blind Of An Eye'; 'Broken Threads'; 'Nox'.


comunicato stampa

curated by Heldi Pema

Raum Gallery is proud to present “In A Blind Of An Eye”, the first solo exhibition in Tirana, of the albanian artist Fani Zguro, in 25 may 2009. For this exhibition the artist presents the videos:

“U Turn” is a new version of filmmaker Oliver Stone’s homonymous movie. This remake sports the artist and the film’s sole protagonist sharing the same goddamned dialogue lines, even before Columbus’ arrival. The video was shot in a border town between Greece and Albania, where both the artist and the film’s sole protagonist grew up together. Ten years later, upon a new meeting, “U Turn” was shot, and what could pass as the usual fucking interview is nothing but the character’s touristic camera, at work at enlarging his travelogue. The only difference being that within this mini-dvd lurks a trip back through time, as happens within Oliver Stone’s original “U Turn”. The return holds each time an epilogue straight out of Burroughs: America has always been a doomed place, even before Columbus’ arrival. “U Turn” operates and recycles analogous stories and places. The video isn’t simply a minimal version of Stone’s film: it tries all along to reach the fulcrum of history, that history continuosly repeating over the same interview or dialogue as in that fucking afternoon, always out there waiting for us.

“Pushing An Elephant Upwards” was shot during a night car trip. For the whole film the camera tries to catch the crossing automobiles, in the end focusing nothing but their endlessly dancing flashlights. And what about the elephant? The elephant doesn’t really exist on film. The idea of its pushing – where the title comes from – is associated with all hard and tiresome task, bearing neither beginning nor end. “Pushing an Elephant Upwards” is shot on a single rec. The cars constantly appearing can’t be focused, due to the camera’s auto setting, and hence the monitor displays nothing but whirling flashlights, up and down, left to right, the movement due both to their displacement and to the car trip. The film is to be the mirror of what we can’t know, possess or get hold of. As the car’s headlights are beyond the camera’s reach, so is this video’s purpose. Man can’t possibly get out of the cage he’s stuck in with an elephant to lift, even if the elephant doesn’t really exist.

“Street By Street”… Each time I come back home I’m struck by the difference between my city and the places I’ve been. The first thing striking you is the strength of the lights flooding all parts of town. If you then take along the bright hues determining streetways, buildings, shops, cars, ads, Tirana then turns in a gypsy woman’s dress. Perhaps all about this town is like this. A trip through the center is enough to realize its citizens, too, are part of the sight, have that look as of fairy-tale characters. Farmers dressed-up with an urban façade create a sort of black humour, their portraits and mimickings produce scenes of Neanderthal-age delirium. Try focusing the camera at any moment and you’ll se house pets sharing the city’s free roads with other animals and street-market workers. All movement in Tirana draws its efficiency from everyone’s reflexes, and only when the muezzin’s singing can churchbells outdo themselves. Only when stray dogs are scratching non-stop can the tourist enjoy a good meal…

“In A Blind Of An Eye” has a camera fixed for a few minutes on a still plane, with no audio nor movement,seeking any single point of reference. The picture shows an extreme close-up of a shepherd dog; the details of this eye are all that happens on screen. It displays the absurd situation of an old and blind dog, whose eyes have been worn out by aging and illness. The video shows nothing but the dog’s wounded eye, and its immediate surroundings. The dog, being blind, is often startled, and reacts to all sorts of noise, for hearing is now its only way to manage its senses. This situation goes on and on, looping every 5 minutes, with no sound, resulting in a sort of still image with us a tip of action, consisting in the eye’s uncontrolled movements, its visual anguish.

“Broken Threads” is the manipulation of a ‘70s Albanian noir movie so as to transform it into its trailer, by collating footage and using as a soundtrack Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “The Curse of Millhaven”, from album Murder Ballads. This project aims at tackling the phenomenon of crime and revolution starting from the earliest jesuit conspirations, showing revolution is nothing but the infamous motto: my work starts when yours is done. For this reason the movie wasn’t digitalized through usual processes, but was instead filmed with a handicam for the whole of its duration, so as to respect the project’s concept. “Broken Threads” elaborates Cave’s track with Albanian noir movie “Broken Threads”, revolving around a bunch of Albanian agents – former nazi collaborators during WWII – operating against the socialist system, suddendly coming back to their homeland to sabotage and destroy some important objectives in the country’s secret industrial plans. The movie stresses the relationship between memory and actuality, old and new enemies, adding up in a noir spy story showing international plots and conspiration finally failing, as usual, in the best of ways.

“Nox” is a latin word for “night”; the video’s title comes from a poem by Victor Hugo the artist’s grandmother was reading during Summer 2007. The film originates from the new editing of footage shot mostly in 2004, centered on nocturnal settings and dark ambiances, focused on the silence surrounding the night and the strange noises seemingly coming from afar. But instead it’s all very near, hidden in the utmost darkness and enhanced by the firm contrasts that arise between bursts of light and tormented sounds. The film is the result of an intensive editing; hours of footage dating from 2004 to present have been collated in a reporter-style language, constantly shifting planes so as to avoid the clear outline of a plot, of a structure of narratives, character and stories. “Nox” is a deep nocturnal landscape, in which, as usual, one ends up staying up all night.

Opening 25 may 2009 h 19

Raum Gallery
Rr. Vaso Pasha 8, Ish Blloku, Tirana (Albania)
free admission

IN ARCHIVIO [1]
Fani Zguro
dal 24/5/2009 al 24/6/2009

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