 Michael Rakowitz: Parasite Shelter, 1999 Adaptations Kim Adams (Toronto), The Arnait Video Collective (Igloolik, Canada), Gardar Eide Einarsson (Berlin), Nils Norman (London), Ocean Earth (New York), Michael Rakowitz (New York), Raqs Media Collective (Delhi), Stealth Group (Rotterdam/Belgrade), Oscar Tuazon and Dick Fishbeck (New York) "Adaptations" examines the complex, sometimes contradictory relationships between forms of independence and infrastructures rooted in existing social relations. While architecture and planning have often been privileged as sites for utopian projection, the potential of small scale adaptations has remained largely overlooked. The initiatives in this exhibition use such adaptations to re-function existing features of their environment, highlighting the struggle between improvised designs and centralized planning. A mixture of emerging and established artists and architects, "Adaptations" brings together first-hand investigations, practical projects and hypothetical models, all of which bring to light the everyday scale of technological and social change. Several projects examine seemingly minor transformations that create greater alterations in an environment. Others reflect upon the drive to become independent of systems of centralized control, a key aspect of many of the grass-roots utopian projects of the twentieth century. Cutting across traditional definitions of center and periphery, other projects look at the possibilities and limitations attending new infrastructures in the sphere of communication. The project aims to create productive debate about the direction and political status of adaptive strategies in various environments. This exhibition is supported in part by The Graham Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Mondriaan Foundation. The public programs are supported in part by public funds from the New York State Council on Arts, a State agency. Curated by Craig Buckley. Exhibition: January 7 - February 7, 2004 Opening Hours: Tue-Sat 11 am - 6 pm apexart c.p. 291 Church Street USA-New York, NY 10003 Telephone +1 212 431-5270 Fax +1 212 431-4447 Email info@apexart.org www.apexart.org |
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