Trace memories
The experience of ARCO was generally agreed to be endless and exhausting. There were so many works of art that one had to be discerning and not even attempt to appreciate or understand everything, but allow oneself to be drawn instinctually to particular artworks. It was apparent which works had a parallel effect on other visitors, which resulted in interesting little groups and small crowds forming in the most intriguing of corners. This collective appreciation expressed unity with a general sense of taste. Some gatherings I joined without genuinely feeling an aesthetic alliance, but it was enlightening to listen to the appreciative comments of fellow visitors. Through talking with friends and colleagues it was agreed that the work which could be remembered after the event, would be that of the most long-term significance. Therefore my personal trace memory of the show was not one artist or artwork, but the integration of a theme into some of the gallery spaces. It was inspiring when the curating of the works complimented each of the artists works, by the same or perhaps different artists. Therefore in conclusion I present the following...
Nicolai Wallner Gallery
One of the most successful exhibition spaces which united a variety of artists harmoniously to interact, was the Nicolai Wallner Gallery from Copenhagen. Artworks by Dan Graham are described as blurring the line between architecture and sculpture which disorientate the visitor from its usual perception of space. After his artists talk the other day at La Casa Encendida, I must say that I saw the work from a different perspective and that it blended symbiotically with the artwork of Jeppe Hein. Not only was it a joy to walk through, photograph and experience, but I could definitely perceive how the work was appreciated by the visitors to the show.
http://www.arttop10.com/blogs/36/106/art-top10-has-arrived-in-madrid
Michel Soskine Inc
The extraordinary and entrancing interaction between the sculptures of Antonio Crespo Foix and the intense drawings of Daniel Zeller attracted crowds of visitors to squeeze into an intimate space. Zellers drawings are described as beings inspired from topographical and satellite images and are generally two dimensional images of a three dimensional world. The sculptures of Foix perfectly complimented the drawings as they seemed to interact and almost be symbiotically be inspired by each other.
Schleicher / Lange
The skillfully positioned works of Diogo Pimentao and Alison Moffett side by side, subtly enhanced my appreciation of drawing. The artwork by Moffett consisted of a detailed copy of crushed paper resembling a mountain range onto graph paper, allowing a fragment of our three-dimensional real world to inspire a two-dimensional artwork. Pimentao´s work is stretched like a painting or affixed directly to the wall, and fundamentally questions the nature of drawing, specifically its boundary with painting. As one steps closer and the lights catch the surface of the paper surface, the strong calligraphic markings and energy of the mark-making emerges. It becomes apparent that the simplicity in the monochromatic nature of these works hides the dynamism and thought that has gone into their creation.
