Christian Capurro: SLAVE Australian Centre for - ACCA

15 Pages·2014·0.34 MB·English

Christian
Capurro: SLAVE
Australian
Centre for
Contemporary
Art
16 August –
28 September
2014
Artist Biography ACCA Education
Christian Capurro was born in and across multiple locations in
Dampier, Western Australia, and Melbourne (2004/2005), including
lives in Melbourne. in the exhibition Cycle Tracks Will
Abound in Utopia, Australian Cen-
In 2012 he was International tre for Contemporary Art (2005).
Artist-in-Residence at Maumaus
— Escola de Artes Visuais,Lisbon, His work is held privately, both
courtesy of an Anne and Gordon locally and overseas, and in the
Samstag International Visual Arts public collections of the National
Scholarship; and through late 2012 Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery
into early 2013, when ‘SLAVE’ was of New South Wales/Kaldor Fam-
filmed, an artist-in-residence at the ily Collection, National Gallery of
Sammlung Lenikus, Vienna. Victoria, Museum of Contempo-
rary Art, Sydney, Monash Uni-
Recent solo exhibitions include: versity Museum of Art, Univer-
Amateur props (2014) and Mouth- sity of Western Sydney and the
piece (2011), both Milani Gallery, Queensland University of Technol-
Brisbane; ‘IS’, Sammlung Lenikus, ogy.
Vienna, and Bootleg, Breenspace,
Sydney (both 2013); and a va- Christian Capurro is represented
cant bazaar (provisional legend), by Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
Artspace, Sydney (2010). www.christiancapurro.com
Capurro’s ‘Another Misspent
Portrait of Etienne de Silhouette’
project, now in the collection of
the Museum of Contemporary Art,
Sydney, was presented at the 52nd
Venice Biennale of International
Art (2007); in Mary Kelly, Chris-
tian Capurro and Klaus Moset-
tig, Simon Preston Gallery, New
York, and Behind the Image | The
Image Behind (on covering and
uncovering media), STUK Kun-
stencentrum, Leuven (both 2009);
Artist Practice ACCA Education
Melbourne based, Capurro works
across a range of media includ-
ing drawing, photography, print,
video and installation. His work
is process-based and conceptu-
ally oriented. He is known for
his “erasure projects”, where the
pages of glossy magazines were
erased over a long periods of time
using rubbers or correction-fluid.
In Another Misspent Portrait of Eti-
enne de Silhouette (1999-2009), for
example, a copy of Vogue Hom-
mes(#92 September 1986) was
systematically erased by over 250
people, each noting how long it
took and what it that labour might
have cost calculated on their usual
hourly rate of pay.
“Capurro’s practice is grounded
in the re-mastering, residue and
decodification of the image.”
Simon Rees, Sculpting in Light,
ACCA Catalogue, 2014
SLAVE: The Exhibition and Artwork ACCA Education
Phone-videos of monumental the lens, disrupting the footage Tatlin are approximately 244 x 59 x
works by American minimalist Dan and the iPhone camera sensor 11cm large.
Flavin, refashioned into large-scale struggles into correct exposure.
filmic ‘captures’ by Australian The title “SLAVE” is intriguing
artist Christian Capurro, feature The scale of the works is core to and lends itself to a variety of
in SLAVE, part of ACCA’s Impor- SLAVE. The installation of the interpretations. One could start by
tant Australian Artists program. 8 large (4m high x 2.25m wide) interpreting it with reference to the
screens, placed around the dark prolific, mass consumed technol-
Capurro’s phone-videos were gallery on different angles cre- ogy (the iPhone) used to create
made during a residency at the ates a mysterious, deep and dark the work to comment that we are
Sammlung Lenikus, Vienna. An environment, where the viewer ‘slaves’ to technology. SLAVE is
ongoing series, they are part hom- moves around and interacts with also reminiscent of the light sensi-
age, part theft, yet also compel- the screens and footage. Mov- tive photographic device called
ling ‹portraits› of Flavin’s iconic ing through, past and around the a ‘slave’ which is attached to the
fluorescent“Monuments” for V. works, the viewer sometimes camera’s flash and can ‘sense’
Tatlin. Capurro re-monumentaliz- appears a part of the work, cap- when a photographic flash has
es these works at an architectural tured in silhouette on the screens. been fired, and causes it to fire off
scale in ACCA’s own iconic archi- Standing in front of the projec- simultaneously. In a similar vein,
tecture. tions, the viewer appears smaller the explosions of light seen in
in scale, compelled by the size, Capurro’s SLAVE projections ap-
SLAVE represents a strain of the luminosity, light and flickering be- pear to be ‘set off’ by one another
new film and image making that ing projected. and are connected by a central
plays with some of the conven- network.
tions that operate in the domains In relation to the scale of the work,
of reproduction, especially how Capurro has said: “The projec- SLAVE could also suggest that Ca-
they apply to, and are used in pre- tions themselves are scaled in purro’s film captures are beholden
senting the work of art. relation to Flavin’s “monuments”, to their master: they rely on the
the plasticity of the moving im- Flavin’s to exist. The architectural
In his filmed encounters with age, and the space they’ll inhabit, installation of SLAVE physically
Flavin’s light sculptures the viewer whilst also taking into account suggests entrapment and the light
sees the technology, the body and how this registers on someone, in the Flavin fluorescent tubes,
the unity and stability of the rep- a body, standing amongst them. flicker and explode, trying to es-
resentation in reproduction put They present the “monuments” at cape the frame, but always appear
under pressure, and their limits a size not much larger than they back in focus, trapped. SLAVES to
tested. The hand-held camera are in actuality.” The original scale the projection.
shakes, the artist’s finger covers of Flavin’s “Monuments” for V.
Ideas and Inspiration ACCA Education
SLAVE began during Capurro’s being slightly shifted or the lens
residency at the Sammlung Leni- disrupted, struggled to swiftly find
kus, Vienna and with the acquisi- it’s correct exposure and resulted
tion of a new tool– the iPhone. As in an explosion of light on the
a professional photographer and screen, before it adjusted itself to
artist, he was curious about how find the image again.
people were using this tool and
how they orientated themselves Capurro was also fascinated in
around the use of their camera exploring his own physical limita-
phones: how and where they tions when filming the Flavin’s
stood, how and where they looked using his iPhone. He did not use
etc. He started exploring his own a tripod or additional lens. He
iPhone and began to understand it simply used his iPhone 4s and his
as an image-making tool. body to hold the camera and focus
on the frame. Although he began
Capurro was particularly curious filming, standing quite steadily,
about the way the iPhone camera holding the camera, over time his
captures still and moving images. hand and body got tired, and his
The lens and capture technol- position shifted, causing camera
ogy within camera phones that shake and at times his finger to
manages the scanning rate and come into the frame and disrupt
how it captures light is not as the lens. In these cases the space
advanced as digital cameras. This is interrupted by the body behind
is why some iPhone photos ap- the camera.
pear blurred, under/over exposed
or un-sharp, colour altered. Like
the aperture in a camera’s lens the
scanner in the iPhone attempts to
adjust to the exposure (amount of
light being captured), however it
is not as responsive as our naked
eye or digital cameras. Capurro
was particularly intrigued by this
when capturing the footage of
Flavin’s light sculptures and he
noticed that the camera, after
Materials and Techniques ACCA Education
SLAVE, 2012-2014, 8 channel video 8 sculptures were made into their rather than a globe that traditional
installation own composite of filmed foot- projectors use. Because there is
age. This resulted in eight films, no globe the projectors can hang
Capurro used his iPhone 4s to film each containing a range of dif- from their side and they do not
Dan Flavin’s “Monuments” for V. ferent filmed sequences, of the emit heat.
Tatlin whilst they were on display eight sculptures. Each of the eight
in an exhibition at the Sammlung video works were saved and pro- The gallery walls are black and the
Lenikus, Vienna in 201-2013. To grammed on a loop as an .mp4 file floor has been painted over to cre-
film Flavin’s work he visited the onto a flashcard. Each flashcard ate a dark, semi reflective surface.
gallery on numerous occasions was inserted into one of the eight There is no additional light in the
(around 15 different times) to Sony VPL-FHZ55, 3LCD Laser Light gallery space (besides a safety exit
record the 8 monuments. This Source Projectors and connected light), only the light projected from
resulted in 8 films created and in to the Media Player within the Pro- the Flavin’s in Capurro’s video
the ACCA exhibition these camera- jector. They are programmed to works. The entrance to the gallery
phone films are presented as an 8 play and project the camera-phone has a light-lock entrance, to ensure
channel installation on 8 separate videos through these Players. ambient light from the outside
screens. does not enter and interfere with
SLAVE is installed at ACCA as an the dark, mysterious atmosphere.
Capurro did not use a tripod or eight channel video installation,
specific lens to film the Flavin’s. He projected onto 8 large screens (4m To assist him realising and con-
only used his body and iPhone to high and 2.25m wide) installed ceptualising the installation
create the footage. When filming around the gallery space – each Capurro constructed a wooden
each ‘monument’ Capurro mea- with a slightly different orientation model of the ACCA Gallery One
sured out the distance between or angle. Each screen has been and he made to-scale screens to
the Flavin and himself quite arbi- built with a timber stud frame and experiment with the placement
trarily, taking 7 steps back from plasterboard cover and they are and orientation of each film. This
the work, to make sure that the im- bolted to the gallery floor. The informed the floorplan and instal-
age being filmed was at a constant projectors have their own steel lation of the artwork.
(but not perfectly exact) scale. frames and are attached to steel
supports that hang down from the
There was minimal post-produc- gallery ceiling, off the gallery ceil-
tion involved in making these ing crossbars. The projectors sit
works. Capurro downloaded the in these frames on their side and
footage from his iPhone onto his face the screen. These Projectors
computer and edited the various are quite unique, as they project
recordings together; each of the the image through a blue laser,
Appropriation and Copyright ACCA Education
Part theft, part appropriation, part SLAVE prompts discussion and colonial, ironic etc. I’m not sure
homage thought around contemporary these post-modern propositions
appropriation strategies, and are at stake with Christian Ca-
“Since 1998 technology has ever undoubtedly raises questions purro’s phone-films of Dan Flavin’s
evolved. Video cameras, as such, amongst students around copy- iconic fluorescent tube works. The
seem nearly redundant. Almost right. What is most intriguing original is not denied, authorship
everyone carries a small portable about Christian Capurro’s SLAVE is not questioned. Indeed the title
device capable of taking photos, is that it is part homage, part theft SLAVE suggests that Capurro’s
making films, navigating places: and part compelling ‘retakes’ and film captures are beholden to a
creating, connecting and send- portraits of iconic artwork. master. But it is true also that
ing images and words out into Flavin’s works, so iconic and
the fibre-optic world. The idea of SLAVE represents a strain of the recognizable, are now in service
protecting copyright, of prevent- new film and image making that and slave to Capurro’s new filmic
ing unauthorised photography plays with some of the conven- apparitions.
and filming has been more or tions that operate in the domains
less defeated by the ubiquity of of reproduction, especially how Instead of appropriating for post- Walker Evans, , 1936
Gelatin silver print, Metropolitan
recording devices and the sheer they apply to, and are used in modern stakes, it is as if Capurro
Museum of Art, New York
multitude of unmonitorable occa- presenting the work of art. As is inventing, testing, experiment-
sions in which copyright is chal- Juliana Engberg writes, given ing; researching the phenomenol-
lenged. Most recently, the advent today’s technology it seems easy ogy of translating the material
of the ‘selfie’ has become an and inevitable, albeit audacious, into the immaterial. In many
active witnessing and declaration that artists can ‘bootleg’ (illegally ways, in this process, Flavin is an
— I was here, next to this thing — take) another artists’ art. But as innocent bystander, and his works
#whateveritwas#awesome — add- she explains: a kind of ready-made. And yet
ing to the misdemeanours per- his status as originator cannot be
formed with other people’s art.” “The fact is, very few artists actu- denied. To quote Flavin himself: it
– Juliana Engberg, ACCA Curator, ally take the work of others and is what it is.”
SLAVE: Christian Capurro Intro- make it their own. When they – Juliana Engberg, ACCA Curator,
duction, 2014 do it is still generally within the SLAVE: Christian Capurro Intro-
theoretically defined post-modern duction, 2014
concepts – ideas brought firmly
into focus by Sherrie Levine’s ap-
propriation of the photographs Sherrie Levine, After Walker Ev-
ans: 4, 1981, Gelatin silver print
of Walker Even — of questioning
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
authorship, hierarchy, author- York
ity, gender; retranslating, post
ACCA Education
A transformation occurs in Capur- selves than they do within a relay
ro’s act of filming and projecting of ideas, affects, image- forms and
the Flavin’s in SLAVE. Their state relations, they remain very particu-
changes: from still image to mov- lar things, even in their re-figuring
ing image. Their scale changes: and their mimetic displacement.
projected larger. Their appearance “The nature of an organism”, as
changes, seeing things not percep- Guy Davenport observed, “deter-
tible to the eye when encounter- mines what kind of turbulence it
ing an original Flavin: the hyper- can tolerate.”
sensitivity of the iPhone camera
captures and creates colour in and
around Flavin’s white fluorescent
tubes; and the pulsing, jittering
and exploding of light in the tubes
is magnified and clearly visible to
the viewer.
Christian Capurro’s response to
the question: What is your re-
sponse when people ask, “is this
theft?” Would you consider this
work as an appropriation of Dan
Flavin’s work? Why? You have
said it doesn’t matter they are
Dan Flavin works, but doesn’t that
change the content of your work?
Thinking of Slave as an abduc-
tion of Flavin’s “monuments”, to
be used for my own purposes is,
perhaps, more apt. It’s a fair de-
scription of the, let’s be honest,
forcible taking and holding of, at
least, their semblances, which is
their currency. Though Flavin’s
works matter less in and of them-
Dan Flavin (1933 – 1996) & ACCA Education
‘Monuments’ For V. Tatlin
Dan Flavin was an American instal- Fluorescent light is produced by
lation artist and painter. His father filling a glass tube with a mixture
intended him to become a priest of mercury vapour and argon gas-
and from 1947 to 1952 he attended es. When electrified, the gases emit
a seminary in Brooklyn, New York. an ultraviolet radiation that causes
In 1954 he studied at the University the phosphorescent compounds
of Maryland Extension Program in that coat the inside of the sealed
Osan-Ni in Korea and in 1956 at the glass tube to glow. Different phos-
New College for Social Research phors radiate at different wave-
in New York. He continued these lengths, thereby producing the
art history studies in 1957–59 at multiple colours. Because coloured
Columbia University, New York, but light behaves differently than pig-
was self-taught as an artist. ment, Flavin’s works often defy the
expectations of viewers, who are
His early work of the late 1950s frequently surprised and amused
and early 1960s was influenced by by the discovery of the proper-
contemporary American art and ties of light. For example, mixing
included paintings with added colours across the spectrum in pig-
objects. Beginning in 1963, Flavin ment renders paint black; blending

adopted commercially available the colours of the light spectrum
fluorescent light as the primary results, instead, in white light (seen Vladimir Tatlin, Model of the Monument to the Dan Flavin, untitled (to Henri Matisse),1964.
Third International (1919–20), 1919. Pink, yellow, blue and green fluorescent light,
medium for his art. Notably, he in Untitled (to Henri Matisse). 8 ft. (244 cm) high, edition 2/3. Photo: David Dan Flavin, 1964
preferred standardized, utilitarian Heald ©Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, cool white fluorescent light, 8 ft. (244 cm) high
New York © 2014 Stephen Flavin/Artists Rights Dia Art Foundation, Photo: Billy Jim, New York
fluorescent light to custom-de-
Society (ARS). © Stephen Flavin/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
signed, showy neon. He confined
himself to a limited palette (red,
blue, green, pink, yellow, ultravio-
let, and four different whites) and
form (straight two-, four-, six-, and
eight-foot tubes, and, beginning in
1972, circles). Within this restricted
visual vocabulary he began a
decades-long investigation into the
behaviour of light.
ACCA Education
Between 1964 and 1990 Flavin di- In Flavin’s “monuments” series For more information and research
rectly approached the genre of the he captures the architectural and into Tatlin, Russian Constructivists
monument in his series “monu- utopian, constructivist style within and Flavin see:
ments” for V. Tatlin. These were the arrangement of the fluorescent
made in homage to Russian Con- tubes. Some appear like the Rus- NGV Washington: http://www.nga.
structivist artist Vladimir Tatlin and sian Sputnik spacecraft, others like gov/exhibitions/2004/flavin/introduc-
his unrealised tower Monument to the Empire State building spires. tion/introduction.shtm
the Third International (1919) – a The cool white light memorialises
TATE: Flavin: http://www.tate.org.uk/
project for a colossal (bigger than Vladimir Tatlin and his dreams
art/artworks/flavin-monument-for-v-
the Eiffel Tower) tilted revolving of art and science. On the series,
tatlin-t01323
iron tower intended to support Flavin confessed: “I always use
Lenin’s “Plan for Monumental Pro- ‘monuments’ in quotes to empha-
MoMA: Flavin: http://www.moma.org/
paganda”. Although it was never size the ironic humour of tempo- collection/artist.php?artist_id=1911
built, Tatlin’s monument became rary monuments. These ‘monu-
a symbol for the ambitious, yet ments’ only survive as long as the MoMA: Constructivism: http://
unrealised, utopian dreams of the light system is useful.” In this Fla- www.moma.org/collection/details.
Russian Constructivists. . vin stressed the impermanence of php?theme_id=10955
the fluorescent lights – the bulbs
Tatlin: http://www.theartstory.org/
will eventually burn out and need
artist-tatlin-vladimir.htm
replacing. Interestingly, in Capur-
ro’s SLAVE the lights do not need
replacing, they are on permanent
digital record and ‘monumental’
again.

Dan Flavin, “monument” 1 for V. Tatlin, 1964,
cool white fluorescent light, installation shot,
Art Basel Miami, December 2009 from: http://
www.harlanerskine.com/blog/2009/12/art-basel-
miami-beach-2009-day-5.html