 Plight 2, 2007 installation, 401 carpets, automatic grand piano Yamaha Disklavier, sound (piano transcription of "The Internationale" anthem), dismountable wood construction, paint and neon light Matthieu Laurette Plight 2 In 1985 Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) presented his installation "Plight" in the Anthony d'Offay Gallery in London. This installation was subsequently purchased by the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The installation from the Pompidou collection is an exact reconstruction of the London installation and gallery spaces. In the former storage room of Deweer Art Gallery we are now confronted with Matthieu Laurette's "Plight 2", a second reconstruction of the Paris installation especially conceived for "Real Estate", his recent solo exhibition at Deweer Art Gallery. "Plight 2" uses materials from the "estate" of the closed down rug factory Deweer nv in which buildings Deweer Art Gallery is still housed. In "Plight 2" rugs from the Deweer nv stock replace the wool filled felt rolls that are so iconical for the original "Plight" and its reconstruction. Inside "Plight 2" an automatic grand piano plays "The International" anthem, a 1888 composition by Ghent composer Pierre De Geyter. De Geyter wrote the music for the workers from the Lille and French-Belgian boarder area. Its melody now resonates in the space where once carpets were being woven. In the original "Plight" the grand piano is sealed. The word "plight" has a double meaning. It not only means "situation" or "position", it also means "pledge". It is a promise for the future. With this installation, Matthieu Laurette quotes and conceptualizes the work of artists who belong to our collective cultural memory and applies it to a new cultural context. Exhibition 24 February - 6 April 2008 Gallery hours Wed/Thu, Sat/Sun 2 - 6 pm, Fri 10 am - 6 pm, and by appointment Deweer Art Gallery Tiegemstraat 6A B-8553 Otegem (Belgium) Telephone +32 56 644 893 Fax +32 56 647 685 Email info@deweerartgallery.com www.deweerartgallery.com |
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