The Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv invites you to the exhibition "Still Life" by Apparatus 22, taking place during the Fresh Paint Contemporary Art Fair, between March 28- April 1, 2017 at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in the Tel Aviv University campus.
With the support of RCI Tel Aviv, the art group Apparatus 22 (Dragoș Olea, Maria Farcaș and Erika Olea) will participate in the international exhibition program and will deliver a talk, in English, entitled ”Apparatus 22 on statistics, SUPRAINFINIT, no. 3 and arches of roses” on March 28, 2017, at 18:00, during Fresh Paint Salon. The talk is introducing the practice of Apparatus 22 collective through a set of topics ranging from the importance of 3 to the potentiality of reading undertones in statistics, from their SUPRAINFINIT universe to the many ways they are scrutinizing the body.
Visiting Hours:
Tuesday, March 28, 17:00 – 22:00
Wednesday, March 29, 17:00 – 22:00
Thursday, March 30, 17:00 – 22:00
Friday, March 31, 10:00 – 18:00
Saturday, April 1, 10:00 – 21:00
Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Parking on premises
Tickets and complete program: http://www.freshpaint.co.il/en
Map: http://www.freshpaint.co.il/en/art-fair/map
About the exhibition ”Still Life” by Apparatus 22 –Without formal education in painting, yet fascinated with the spell of still lives, Apparatus 22 collective devised a way to approach the genre daringly, while staying true to their practice and methods. What if this new understanding of still life painting involved canvas, made use of decorative and symbolic elements yet operated with language as the main tool in rendering that much sought-after “slice of life”? The codes of the historical lowest ranked in the hierarchy of genres are subversively overturned, leaving words (and one’s imagination) to “paint” poetical compositions that infinitely open up the interpretation of the final tableau.
The exhibition is comprised of two still life series of works:
Still Life (m) series: STILL LIFE (1), STILL LIFE (2), STILL LIFE (3)
The first series of still lifes by Apparatus 22 was triggered by the compelling story of Maruca Cantacuzino Enescu - a hyper intelligent, histrionic princess that challenged Romanian society norms and imaginary in the first half of XXth century.
Painted on lavish vintage textiles, words depict three period tableaux fraught with high drama and reminiscent of luxury and glamour that could very well be interpreted in a contemporary key. Transgressions of time and narratives allow and blur identification with a historic character, while reflecting on the emancipatory power of desires.
STILL LIFE (FF) series: Still Life (raven), Still Life (chimera), Still Life (fashion bestiary)
The second series of still lifes toys with the term of the genre itself – “still” – which historically means including within the inanimate subject matter, depiction of dead animals etc. The three resulting descriptive poems about weird, fantastical fauna combine bits and pieces from both the realms of the real and the symbolical.
A raven, a chimera, a bizarre assortment of animals: fashion, as well as literature and art history provide hints in the interpretation of the hermetical scenes. The black and white rocky landscapes, still and thoroughly devoid of life that function as backgrounds add – or subtract - a further layer in the decorative compositional structure.
Apparatus 22 is a multidisciplinary art collective initiated by current members Erika Olea, Maria Farcas, Dragos Olea and late artist Ioana Nemes (1979, Bucharest – 2011, NY) in Bucharest, Romania in January 2011.
Currently working in between Bucharest and Brussels, Apparatus 22 is exploring the intricate relationships between fashion and economy, politics, gender studies, social movements, religion in order to understand the contemporary society.
The collective participated in exhibitions and festivals at La Biennale di Venezia 2013, MUMOK, Vienna (AT), Brukenthal Museum Contemporary Art Gallery, Sibiu (RO), MAK, Vienna (AT), Steirischer Herbst, Graz (AT), Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart (DE), Salonul de Proiecte, Bucharest (RO), TIME MACHINE BIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART, D-0 ARK UNDERGROUND, Konji (BIH), TRAFO Gallery, Budapest (HU), Futura, Prague (CZ), Ujazdowski Castle – Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw (PL), Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart (DE), Contemporary Art Museum (MNAC), Bucharest (RO), KunstMuseum Linz (AT), Osage Foundation (Hong Kong), Progetto Diogene, Turin (IT), Nest, Den Haag, (NL), Academie Royale des Beaux Arts, Brussels (BE)
Fresh Paint 9 will be held in the new and impressive building of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, at Tel Aviv University. The fair will provide a point of view on current state of affairs in local art and design scenes through international art shows, selected projects by galleries and art institutions, the up-coming independent artist’s greenhouse, the video greenhouse, and a presentation of Israel finest product designers.
As every year, the fair will include Fresh Paint’s flagship social project - the Secret Postcard Project, and the Fresh Paint Cultural Salon - a setting for talks, lectures, and meetings about art and culture. Workshops for children will take place at the fair during the weekend.
Participating international artists: Apparatus 22 –Romania, Andrius Erminas –Lithuania, Tono Carabajo –Spain, Kneip- Norway, Misoo- USA, and Roman Sakin -Russia
