memory. language, art. wittgenstein. books. ceramics.

all sorts of thinkings on memory, language, art, wittgenstein, books, etc, while I am getting on with my MA

Sunday 2 May 2010

84 Paintings at Wilkinson Gallery



What you see here are the paintings produced as part of ‘84 paintings’, a project which took place at Wiels, Brussels in late 2009. From the 2nd - 16th of November 2009 three painters worked in the Wiels project space. Each artist produced two paintings every day, with the aim of producing 84 paintings over the two-week period of the project. During the fortnight an open invitation was given for anyone to watch the development and discuss the project.
The conclusion of the project would always be dependent on the progression of the work during the two weeks. However, no emphasis was put on the project to produce a final event or exhibition, the conclusion would inevitably be 84 works.
Participants
Fiona Mackay b.1984 Aberdeen, Scotland
Morag Keil b.1985 Edinburgh, Scotland
Manuela Gernedel b. 1982, Bad Ischl, Austria

This is a good one.
Because it is clear and concise.
I often get surprised, when galleries/artists bother with pages of press releases and artist's statements, when so many people in the arts are dyslexic. But that is another subject.






There is no grand eco concept in this and there is no painful self-regurgitating. Just 84 painings. The "Display Instructions" are interesting: the paintings only exist as part of the group of the 84. There should be no hierarchy, no names. A kind of communist state order. The paintings can only be read in a group of all 84 paintings present. Like a text of some sort, where each painting should represent a fragment of meaning. Except that there is no semiotic meaning attached to any of them. And for that reason they could be mixed up and changed around or substituted without any effects on the reading. Or is the meaning of that work, that there is no meaning to it? (oh, I love that idea!) Just 84 paintings. Full-stop.