Unofficial Unworks at Berlin Biennale
Unofficial Unworks (2019) are Unexperiences, Unimages, Unhere, Love appearing uninvited in art venues and other public spaces, enacted by visitor-performers, affecting some of their implicit conventions and expectations. As visitors we usually conform, performing our roles, consuming quietly what is in front of our eyes. As artists we mostly follow artworld's implicit codes, protocols, structures of validation, hoping to be seen, invited, appreciated. As people we conform to prevailing perspectives and certainties. Artists can and should sometimes deviate from these dynamics. And visitors too.
“I feel connected with these icons. I know that they're supposed to criticize Christianity, with Christ overgrown by jungle plants. Yet, my body feels almost like praying to them. This feeling extends to the other works here, and to other people too. I'm now bathing in this sensitivity, I'm turning around capturing these affects on my body. Now I feel more like blessing the works, I'm turning around with my left hand energized sending a sort of love in the entire space, to works and people. I don't know if people can receive the blessing, I think they see it as performance, or craziness. Now my hand turned towards the sky, the ceiling actually, and my chest too, it's warm, full of this affect. The blessing hand transformed into a sort of a receiver, my phone too. My body entered all sorts of mini movements, like to capture and to better integrate these affects coming my way. They're not especially coming my way, they are everywhere, I just happen to sense them now. Actually it's not just happening, it's my practice. Now I entered this disintegrated horizontal building installation, but I'm triggered back by the jungle Jesus icon paintings. And now by other works, like the medicinal plants on the opposite wall. I'm walking, pulled in different directions by my chest, mainly by works but by some people too. Sometimes my body initiates the attitude and the movements of embracing people, but they don't respond.” (note from inside Unexperiences in the frame of Unofficial Unworks at Berlin Biennale, 2 Jul 2022)
Performers: Eliza Trefas, Martina Piazzi, Florin Flueras.