Materials such as coffee, bread, charcoal, wine, fabric and urine typify Barrio’s practice and represent a radical denial of art as a permanent and (classical) aesthetic experience. Moreover, the temporary element of his work obliges the artist to search for alternative documentation techniques – photos, videos, artists’ books and so on – which are also explicitly part of each artwork. This mindset also explains his consistent choice to always make site specific work. A second key aspect of Barrio’s work is his radical relativisation of the art institute. He regards the curator as superfluous to the idea of the artwork or the exhibition and reduces him or her to a mere logistics coordinator.
According to Barrio, the work ‘Interminável’ (2005), Portuguese for ‘interminable’, alludes on the one hand to the ongoing creative process that art generates, and on the other hand to the utopian spirit that is carried within the infinite. To mark the reinstallation of the work, the artist will enter into dialogue with Philippe van Cauteren.
Practical details:
- Sunday 17 March 2019 - 3 pm
- Language: French
