Week 95_Free_art_-_4RCH1V35
Free_art_-_4RCH1V35
is a distributed IRL/URL/darknet curators' pavilion/embassy
@ The Wrong — New Digital Art Biennale
@ pivilionumi6b3kg.onion ( add .link to view the page on clearnet browser)
Nov 1st 2017 – Jan 31st 2018 /&/ self-hosted in the physical space of Gallery Siva, Nov 3rd – Nov 10th 2017.
Pavilions / Curators
(0) Format C — 4RCH1V35
(1) net.cube — netdotcube archives
(2) SwS — The Black Metal Artists
Artists: 4:7F2 / Alessandro Safespacecmx / Alejandra Muñoz / André Alves / caterpillart ludvicat (tissue hunter) / Don Elektro / Felipe Queiroz / Filip Ugrin / Felipe Filgueiras / George Ashwell / Hannah Rose Stewart / Isabella Eloise Rose Winthrop / John McLachlan / Josipa Miličević / Jon Arbuckle ft Eduardo Fornieles & 419 inc. (which also involves Lara Joy Evans) / Luka Kedžo / Olga Bjem / Quentin Gomzé / Motorola Beeper / Nikhil Singh / Helin Şahin / S.A. Mayer / John McLachlan / Special: G Dragon ...
The idea of a darkenet gallery developed during the guest appearance of the artist and curator Dina Karadžić at the Gallery Miroslav Kraljević in Zagreb. Together with Vedran Gligo, both Format C members were thinking about how to secure the space for work and how to keep as much autonomy for presenting the artwork. After considering setting up work on a local network, darknet has been set up as a better solution and a simple way to surf the internet without interfering with various "polluted" services, since the internet platform on the smartphone implies acceptance of certain terms, most commonly in the form of payment of the service itself or use of the service personal data for commercial and other purposes. According to the curator's explanation, Format C intent was not an escape from the Internet mainstream, but to gain autonomy and a more neutral approach to work. Also, the goal was not to increase the audience quantitatively (because the use of Tor complicates access to the gallery), but rather a better presentation space.
After providing the infrastructure and the way of presentation Format C’s Zagreb embassy decided on rhizomatic approach and divided the main exhibit for The Wrong beetween net.cube and SwS collective.
One of the works covered the entire archive of the net.cube project that is taken as an object. It was intervened by artist 4: 7F2 who in this way played with connotations and the meaning of the darknet as a place of presentation distorting the online gallery.
The design of the physical setup in the Gray Gallery ( Galerija Siva) was curated by SwS - Marta and Tea Stražičić. Curators / artists used materials such as polyurethane foam for insulation that shaped rhizomatic organic shapes connecting the setup. SwS intervened in presentation of each artistic piece with dripping silicone - concept that is a friendly shout out to another Wrong embassy pavilion named dirt.haus . Setup was based on SwS curatorial project called The Black Metal Artist Residency .
Central piece hanging from the ceiling by Hannah Rose Stewart was surrounded by different variations of contemporary digital painting and assemblage such as prints from Alejandra Muñoz, André Alves, Don Elektro , Jon Arbuckle ft Eduardo Fornieles & 419 inc. (which also involves Lara Joy Evans) , Olga Bjem , Motorola Beeper , Helin Şahin and S.A. Mayer . Video installation - Filip Ugrin’s looping series "Perverzna plastika", Felipe Filgueiras video collage about loneliness was mounted on a painting rack, tissue hunter “team battle/fourth character” projected on the wall of the gallery and Isabella Eloise Rose Winthrop’s piece on interaction of technology and nature was tucked into a blanket and fused with Luka Kedžo’s miniature sculptures. Illustrations by Quentin Gomzé, Nikhil Singh, Alessandro Safespacecmx , George Ashwell were exhibited as prints and John McLachlan’s series “Red and Black” mounted on pieces of glass.
Final collaborative piece came from the unknown artist called G-Dragon. In this piece famous K-pop star casually presents his T-Shirt with the message written in gothic typeface:
“Hey, As Long As It Works”.
The 4RCH1V35 pavilion is built on top of the Pivilion system and based on rhizomatic curation/presentation principles. It's focus is on presenting recent free/libre digital Croatian & transnational <new/multi/hyper>media art & culture archives, re-created via interdisciplinary IRL/DIT/WIP collaborations echoed on both the clear /&/ the dark net.
free_art_-_4RCH1V35 is initiated/coordinated by Format C art org, done in collaboration w/ net.cube, SwS, The Wrong & ACC Attack. The exhibition is a part of the Inquiry Inc.[2017] program, and is supported by the Croatian Ministry of Culture.
Text: Dina Karadžić and Renata Šparada
Documentation: Luka Kedžo and Josipa Miličević
Text and photo edit: Tea Stražičić