Presence of Absence (2nd Coup)
“A paradox is [instantly] revealed when one links the title of the show, Presence of Absence to the typically violent associated action, of a coup d’etat. We assure you, there has been no bloodshed and the two artists have been politely invited by the patron to enter and exhibit their work. As it is becoming increasingly difficult for a new generation of artists to gain exposure, alternative solutions are sought after.
The violence [for argument’s sake] negotiated tonight is towards the inhabited space. An entity and a protagonist in it’s own right, that carries a memory as well as a history. The ammunition arrives in the form of photography, text, installation and site-specific sculpture in an attempt for Iulia Filipovscaia and Laura Napier to proclaim their presence.
A conceptual palindrome: a presence of absence as much as there is absence of presence, an analysis very much investigated by Jacques Derrida. Implicit to both is memory, which precedes and exceeds the present moment, triggered at a time of absence. The exhibition urges the viewer, to search beyond the obvious and mediate the gaps and absences to their own imaginative advantage. The space has been filled with signifiers and memories, some talk of death others of feelings, others of unrealized plans and hidden narratives, in conclusion I wish to quote: “NOTHING EXISTS OUTSIDE THE TEXT” – J. Derrida, 1988
If only violence could be interpreted as an ethereal and ephemeral condition, the protagonist lingers within the absence and will return tomorrow.
”
An exhibition with artist Laura Napier curated by Marina Doritis exploring text-based work, absence, and disappearance. Below are the pieces I’ve contributed:
1.Untitled (wall) - installation of vintage Nigerian studio portraits
2. The Ambiguity I, II - text typed with a vintage typewriter with almost next to none or dispreading ink on paper
I. Description of the scene not photographed
II. Description of a feeling evoked by a non photographed scene
3. In the Memory of Ova - Missing work (marked on a map of the exhibition but not present on the wall)
Final touches before the show opening with our curator Marina Doritis and my mother.
In front the work
PV night
We had an exciting collaboration with pop-up restaurateur Jack Brooks who created canapés for the private view. Brooks of the celebrated Fork Me pop-up restaurant and annual Stoke Newington hog roasts specializes in producing creative gastronomic experiences.
