233 Carrall StreetVancouve r\, BC
V6B 2J2 Canada
info@arts peak.ca
Tel. 604.688.0051
Fax 604.685.1912
Tuesday – Sat urday\, 12-5pm
Admission is free
What are the outcomes of an ex hibition that "refuses to deliver"? Gareth James\, in conv ersation with curator Eric Fredericksen\, will examine ideas of refusal\, d enial\, and the strategies of exhibition-making. What is the status of the object within current art practices? How does this relate to recent texts o n the sociology of objects\, such as "The Berlin Key: Or How to Do Words wi th Things\," by Bruno Latour? What are our expectations for exhibitions\, a nd what do we expect in return? What does this reveal about the mechanisms of exhibition production and institutional communication? What is the role of the curator in an exhibition of this nature? What is being withheld\, an d is it of relevance?
Gareth James is an internationally exhibited ar tist\, previously based in London and New York. He is currently an Assistan t Professor at The University of British Columbia. His work has been exhibi ted widely in the United States and Europe\, including Portikus (Frankfurt) \, Kunstwerke (Berlin)\, The Institute of Contemporary Art (London)\, PS1 C enter for Contemporary Art and the Museum of Modern Art (New York). He has had recent solo exhibitions at Galerie Christian Nagel\, Köln\; Franco Soff iantino Arte Contemporanea\, Torino\; and Elizabeth Dee Gallery\, New York.
Eric Fredericksen is a curator and writer\, and director of Western Bridge\, Seattle. He has curated shows in Vancouver at Artspeak\, the Conte mporary Art Gallery\, the Or Gallery\, and the Bodgers' and Kludgers' Co-op erative Art Parlour. His writing has appeared in Fillip\, Metropolis\, Arch itecture\, Nest\, and The Stranger. He has taught at the University of Wash ington and the Sommerakademie\, Zentrum Paul Klee\, Bern.
Pos
te Restante
April 9 - May 28\, 2011
Jason Dodge (Berlin )\, Hadley+Maxwell (Berlin)\, Allison Hrabluik (Vancouver)\, Aaron Flint Ja mison (Portland)\, Sam Lewitt (New York)\, Heather and Ivan Morison (Bright on\, UK)\, Avigail Moss (Maastricht\, NL)\, Pamela Rosenkranz (Amsterdam/Zu rich)\, Dexter Sinister (New York/Los Angeles)\, Matt Sheridan Smith (New Y ork)\, Oscar Tuazon (Paris)
Presenting the work of eleven artists and collaborators\, this exhibition refuses to deliver. It offers artworks sen t via national postal systems addressed to the gallery as "Poste Restante". Typically relied upon by travelers and lovers\, "Poste Restante" is a requ est for a post office to hold a letter or package until picked up by its re cipient. The works are exhibited as received\, in unopened envelopes or par cels\, accompanied by any paperwork generated during transit\, including cu stoms forms\, bills of lading\, and pro forma invoices. Delivery is deferre d as the packages wait\, held by the gallery for a recipient whose identity is unknown.
Objects are shaped by various encounters with systems of commerce\, information\, publicity and transportation. Stubbornly resistan t to dematerialization\, the art object remains local\, specific and visibl e only in certain spaces\, while operating in far-flung networks\, both phy sical and immaterial. Guarantors of the exhibition as an exhibition\, the a rt objects in Poste Restante serve as ground for exchanges of immaterial se rvices\, writings\, and conversations. Through the suspension of delivery w e remove the object-in-itself from scrutiny and see in clearer relief the s ystems the object both calls to life and circulates within.
The exhib ition will travel to further destinations\, including both commercial galle ries and non-profit spaces\, marking out a geographical network of communic ation and interests analogous to those of the participating artists and org anizations. Parallel events\, including talks\, performances\, and publicat ions\, will accompany the exhibition at each location.
Image: Pos te Restante installation\, 2011 Photo: Blaine Campbell
233 Carrall Street
Vancouve
r\, BC
V6B 2J2 Canada
info@arts
peak.ca
Tel. 604.688.0051
Fax 604.685.1912
Tuesday – Sat
urday\, 12-5pm
Admission is free