 On Translation: Stand By, 2005 Duratrans Lightbox, 51 1/8 x 98 1/2 x 7 7/8 in, 130 x 250 x 20 cm Muntadas On Translation: Stand By "Private and public protocols control, organise and define society and our lives." (Antoni Muntadas: Muntadas: Protokolle, Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart 2006) Since 1995 Muntadas has created a body of work entitled "On Translation", comprising over 35 installations that consider the nearness of elsewhere in an increasingly globalised world. These projects explore the problems of communication, the slipperiness of translation and complexities of interpretation, within international settings. "On Translation: Stand By" will include a single channel video installation and six large-scale rear lit duratrans images. A series of photographic images depict queues of people: small crowds forming lines in various cultural settings. These images reflect on the social protocols and rituals in which we all participate. Looking at lines of people in airports, post offices, and museums, we are encouraged to notice how we subscribe to systems of order and control, often unconsciously. "Stand By" examines an historical and worldwide-accepted protocol. Collectively the "On Translation" projects present human similarity and the power of visual media to express the interconnections of global society. Prescribed behavioural codes are often unquestioned. Muntadas enquires who constructs hierarchies of power and how they are upheld. At a recent exhibition in Stuttgart entitled "On Translations: Die Sammlung", he focused on the presentational instruments used by museums and art galleries. The exhibition pointed to the structural systems of identifying, classifying, preserving and presenting works of art. Muntadas was able to not only control the content but also the display of the exhibition. Questioning what we see, how art can communicate, and how it changes between contexts of display, Muntadas encourages individual interaction with his work. The statement "Perception requires Involvement" has appeared in all presentations of the "On Translation" project, making his viewers the ultimate arbiters of the artworks. Muntadas will make interventions within the gallery space in order to emphasise and problematise how audiences interact with his work. Originally from Barcelona, Muntadas has lived and worked in New York since 1971. His work has been exhibited widely, both in this country and abroad, and has been the subject of numerous surveys and monographs. Muntadas has exhibited throughout the world, including "Muntadas: Protokolle" at the Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart, June - September 2006; Spanish Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2005; Documenta X, Kassel. Recent publications include "Muntadas: On Translation", Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona 2002; "Muntadas: On Translation: Erinnerungsräume", Neues Museum Weserburg Bremen 2004; and "Muntadas: Proyectos", Laboratorio Arte Alameda in Mexico City 2004. "Muntadas: On Translation: Stand By" is also the subject of a new monograph published by La Fabrica Editorial, Madrid (2006). Muntadas is Visiting Professor at the Visual Arts Program in the School of Architecture at the M.I.T. in Cambridge (MA), the Instituto Universitario de Arquitectura del Veneto in Venice and the University of Buenos Aires. Exhibition: 10 October - 18 November 2006 Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10 am - 5.30 pm, Sat 11 am - 4 pm Gimpel Fils 30 Davies Street GB-London, W1K 4NB Telephone +44 20 7493 2488 Fax +44 20 7629 5732 Email info@gimpelfils.com www.gimpelfils.com |
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