Staging the Archive

Staging the Archive

CSM Museum Window Gallery

13th of January – 9th February 2016

“We must be prepared for such profound changes to alter the entire technological aspect of the arts, influencing invention itself as a result, and eventually, it may be, contriving to alter the very concept of art in the most magical fashion.” Walter Benjamin.

Staging the Archive is an exhibition that aims to challenge new perspectives of displaying the CSM Museum Collection. Through the creation of new art works taken from the archive, the exhibition project questions the idea of the real object and the reproduction. None of the original objects are presented and the reproductions might not be completely straightforward. Antonio Castro invited Adam C. Keller (2nd of February), Erika Maish (26th of January), Nicola Lorini (20th of January), Zengke Jin (13th of January) to select a group of objects from the archive. They collaborated to develop new art works from the photographic reproduction of the selected objects.

Reproductions of art works are reinterpreted in many different formats in our lives, on television, the internet, posters, mugs, t-shirts, books, etc. The reproduction can drastically change the reality of the object in terms of scale, materiality, quality, colour, light, etc. However, it is interesting to think about how we develop “relations” with the reproductions of art works and when viewed in person, it becomes completely different from what we have previously experienced. The show evolved as every week a group of new work was added, creating a new dynamic with the viewer and with the space.

Responses to Adam C. Keller, Erika Maish, Nicola Lorini and Zengke Jin’s work were created by Joao B.Gil, Maria Teresa Ribeiro, Nils Braun and Pamm Suki (9th of February).

Special thanks to Anna Buruma and Judy Willcocks

The Central St Martins Museum & Study Collection http://www.arts.ac.uk/csm/csm-culture/museum-and-study-collection/

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