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Independent, New York

press release

Independent, New York 548 West 22nd Street March 3 - 6, 2011

For the 2011 edition of Independent, gb agency will present works by Robert Breer (USA, 1926), Ryan Gander (UK, 1976), Mark Geffriaud (FR, 1977), Jirí Kovanda (CZ, 1953), Roman Ondák (SK, 1966) and Pratchaya Phinthong (TH, 1974).

The presentation is based around the transformation of forms, our perceptions of the presumed stability of a sculptural object and reinterpretations of its nature.

Using all elements of the space, from ceiling to floor, but also air and movement, the selected works suggest a playful questioning of the place, function and meaning of objects and their evolution into sculpture.

In Unit, 1998, Roman Ondák inserts a functioning fan into one side of a classic white sculpture pedestal, giving life back to an inanimate and overlooked form. In N..n...n.. Nostalgia (Alchemy Box #26), 2011, Ryan Gander conceals objects from his own collection hermetically within the sculpture, the contents of which are listed on a small wall text, suggesting a kind of hidden self-portrait. Jirí Kovanda’s Untitled, 2008 connects to his actions from the 70s, where he experimented with small-scale installation within the public space, presenting itself as a minimalist line rendered, rather ironically, with 2 kg of sugar cubes placed on the floor beside the wall.

In Mark Geffriaud’s Mire (2010), the page of book is framed between clear panes of glass and positioned at the booth’s window, forming a transparency that imbues a sculptural presence in the two dimensional work. Pratchaya Phinthong also plays with the materiality of objects, with his work Mono No Aware, 2008, a diptych presenting the literal ephemerality of economic exchange.

Robert Breer will show his latest float, titled Clouds, 2010, a mobile sculpture that hovers above the booth. Oscillating in almost imperceptible movement, the float draws viewers into a silent observation of the form itself, but also the space around it.

Views

A maquette produced using a rapid prototype method for the proposal of a public sculpture. The public sculpture would be representation of the demolished statue of "the Happy Prince" and swallow as featured in the final part of the children’s story The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde. Made from a single piece of stone the sculpture would consist of one solid piece representing the rubble of a ruined work of public art, including details of the forms of the prince’s heart, sword and helmet, as well as the dead swallow.

A 25 Euro Swiss coin as envisaged as if fallen from 2037, the amount of which in relation to denomination is taken from a predicted average European area inflation rate.The coin is value side up and is glued to the floor.

During his residency at the Japanese Foundation, Pratchaya Phinthong found out about a village which has created in the 70’s a self-sufficient economical system. Since then, their farming economy has been reproduced elsewhere (in Thailand for example) but with a populist willing. At the end of his stay in the village, the community offered the artist a cherry tree. The final installation is a blue print poster representing the tree and all the receipts of his trip to go in the village.