2013 Black or white does not exist ; there is only a thousand different shades of grey / Poetic Uprising

Black or white does not exist ; there is only a thousand different shades of grey, acrylic, tempera, pigments and oil on linen, 265 x 200 cm, 2012-2013

During my residency period at Iaspis, I got interested in asking questions about painting as an exhibition object, and seeing how the painting in turn is affected by the exhibition space and the audience. What happens when the same painting is placed in different environments? What is the performativity of the painting?

March 7 at 2 pm, the painting is moved from my studio at the Swedish Arts Grants Committee on Maria skolgata in order to be temporarily installed under the Liljeholmsbron bridge, on Södermalm, for a few hours. The motif of the painting – an empty auditorium, which to a certain degree could be called a non-motif – will be shown in a non-place, in “the wrong environment”, in what I chose to call  a “Poetic Uprising”. The documentation of this temporary site-specific installation will be shown at the Open House at Isapis, where the same painting will be re-installed in yet another environment.

Photos taken by Jean-Baptiste Béranger, 2013

Poetiskt Uppror / Poetic Uprising, installation view 2013

Installation view at the dance studio during the Open House, 2013

The installation consisted on a light show, three sculptures made of painted wood, paper, hooks and metal part. Scales 1:1. The documentation of Poetic Uprising was shown on a monitor during the Open House.