Alejandro Vidal
dal 14/4/2005 al 11/6/2005
Segnalato da
14/4/2005
Alejandro Vidal
Galerie Adler, Frankfurt
Deciphering Scars, recent photographic and video works. The series of photograph 'A thousand lonely Suicides' portraits, an ex-convict that following an homicide attempt tried to commit suicide in front of the police just before being detained, by means of the ancient practice of hara-kiri. The artist explores connections between radical politics, music movements of punk, rock, hip hop, ravers and suicide. All them linked with the need of an audience and a staged mise en scene.
Deciphering Scars
Galerie Adler is pleased to announce a solo exhibition with recent photographic and video works by Spanish artist Alejandro Vidal
The series of photograph ‘A thousand lonely Suicides’ portraits, an ex-convict that following an homicide attempt tried to commit suicide in front of the police just before being detained, by means of the ancient practice of hara-kiri.
Hara Kiri is nothing but a last performative ritual that usually is done in front of a selected public, thus producing Hara Kiri a performative action. This selected public participates in the ritual; without it hara kiri would not exist, the action would just be the "killing yourself".
Politics, rock stars, etc… share this public dependence, they need to kill themselves actually or metaphorically with the public as an active-passive tool and as a part of the violence they execute.
Seppuku (from the kanji "cut" and "stomach") is a Japanese word that means ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku is better known in English as hara-kiri ( literally "cutting the stomach", written with the same kanji as seppuku but in reverse order), which is considered the more vulgar term. Seppuku was a key part of bushido, the code of the samurai warriors; it was used by warriors to avoid falling into enemy hands, and to attenuate shame.
Vidal explores connections between radical politics, music movements of punk, rock, hip hop, ravers and suicide. All them linked with the need of an audience and a staged mise en scene.
From the 1920’s & 1930’s the media started to reach mass audiences through politics. We have met this idea before and we call it propaganda. Looking at recent history we see how the media manipulated audiences for ideological and political purposes.
The various situationist slogans founded in the lyrics of early punk bands, to the proliferation of bands in the early eigh punk rock, like hip hop or techno and electronic subcultures had a strong relationship with explicitly anarchist and radical political content over the years. The experiences of anger and exaltation that rock music provided for countless young people were not in themselves political experiences, but rock could become a potent political force when linked to real political organizing.
Adorno was convinced that music could be so powerful it could force individuals to realize their existence. It is a product of social forces which can undergo change.
Ulrike Meinhof wrote that "suicide is the ultimate form of protest." In this she saw suicide as a political act, as a last resort to preserve one's sovereignty over one's body and life. She later died by suicide while under captivity (as did several of her Red Army Faction comrades). Among the most typical methods of suicide as a part of political action have been death by fire and hunger strike.
Alejandro Vidal’s exhibition is completed by a video projection in the main gallery space and an installation dealing with some of the issues present in his work concerned with issues that address social conflict, activism, self-defence, and violence.
Alejandro Vidal (Palma de Mallorca,1972) Lives and Works in Barcelona. His practice involves several mediums such as video, photography, drawing and installation.
Vidal sees his work as a wicked exercise that examines today’s society’s state of mind. In the last years he has been investigating aesthetic positions prior to the act of violence. From video-manuals of self-defence to 80`s punk, early rave techno or 90’s cult movies. He brings all these influences and concepts together to organize them as an attempt of understanding an historical moment and its implications.
Vidal investigates the social, political and economic implications of contemporary Art taking a critical look at the way in which marketing and politics distort our attitudes towards violence and life within our cities.
http://www.alejandro-vidal.com
Recent exhibitions and projects
2006
‘Youth of Today’, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany, curated by Max Hollein and Matthias Ulrich
2005
‘Deciphering Scars’ Gallery Adler, Frankfurt, Germany
ArtFrankfurt, stand Gallery Adler, Germany
‘The pattern of Subversion’ BuroEmpty, Amsterdam; Holland
‘A thousand lonely Suicides’ Play Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Insurgent Space, Tirana, Albania (curated by Edi Muka and Stefano Romano)
MOT, London (curated by Chris Hammond)
'Parafraseando al Diablo' Harto_Espacio, Montevideo, Uruguay
Photo London, stand galerie Adler
2004
‘Protecting Idols’ ADN GalerÃa, Barcelona, Spain
‘A pas de Loup’ Museum of Contemporary Art. Belgrade (curated by Branko Dimitrijevic)
‘Un tiro a todos los Diablos’ Artra, Milano, Italy (curated by Marco Scotini)
KunstRai04 Amsterdam, stand BuroEmpty
‘Personne n’est Innocent’ Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France (curated by Damien Airault and Sigismond de Vajay / with Jon Mikel Euba, Leopold Kessler, Fabrice Gygi, Sigismond de Vajay, Valérie Prot, Alain Declerq, Young Hae Chang)
‘Working Class Today ..Tomorrow Nuevos Ricos’ KBB, Barcelona, Spain (with Carlos Amorales ,Silverio y Jordi Mitja)
ADN1 , ADN Galeria, Barcelona, Spain (with Bruno Peinado, Santiago Cirugeda, Virginia Barré, El Perro)
RAM6 CAC Center For Contemporary Art, Vilnius, Lithuania (organized by Vilma/Jutempus)
2003
Alejandro Vidal. ‘In the Company of Enemies’ GalerÃa T4, Barcelona, Spain
‘We are not afraid’ VTO Gallery, London, UK (with Jon Mikel Euba, Manuel Saiz, Valérie Prot)
‘Promising Young Boys’ Konstakuten, Stockholm, Sweden
‘Exercises in Self-Protection’ Espacio Tres, Mexico DF, Mexico (curated by Francisca Rivero Lake)
Liste 03, Basel, stand VTO Gallery
‘En sus Trece’ ADN Galeria, Barcelona, Spain
‘Scan Around’ Kordergarda Gallery, Warsaw Electronic Festival, Poland
‘Controlled Revolution 4’ , Vecchio Hospedale Soave, Codogno, Italy (with José Davila, Marc Bijl, Anibal Lopez, Gustavo Artigas, Liuba, Daniele Bacci …)
‘Exploraciones’ La Capella, Barcelona, Spain (curated by Manuel Olveira / with Jordi Mitja,Raimond Chaves,Jaime Pitarch, Aziz Taleb,Carles Guerra,Sophie Whetnall ...)
RAM 3 workshop . E-Media Center. Tallinn, Estonia
‘Contested Space’ Stazione Leopolda, Firenze, Italy (curated by Marco Scotini / with Santiago Sierra, Superflex, Meschac Gaba, Carlos Garaicoa, Gianni Motti, Teresa Margolles ..)
Private view 15th April
Galerie Adler
Hanauer Landstraße 134 - Frankfurt
Gallery opens: Tu, Wed 15-18 /Th, Fr 12-19 / Sa 11-15 and with appointment