claire fontaine: unbuilding

‘counterpoison’ (production stills), 2004 production stills, pasted digital print with cd-rom, dimensions variable, approx. 130 x 92 cm image courtesy of claire fontaine, galleria T293, napoli and caterina tognon arte contemporanea, venezia

paris-based collective artist claire fontaine will showcase a selection of her work at her solo show ‘unbuilding’ as a part of the 12th architecture biennale in venice, italy. the double exhibition venue at the gallery caterina tognon arte contemporanea is made in collaboration with marco altavilla and paola guadagnino of T293 naples.

as part of the show, the facade of a residential building in the heart of venice will be installed with a new neon work, a familiar medium for fontaine as seen in previous works such as ‘strike’ (2004) and ‘we are with you in the night’ (2008). the sign features a bertolt brecht’s sentence: ‘kultur ist ein palast der aus hundescheiße gebaut ist’ (the palace of culture is built with dog shit). through this direct dialogue, fontaine interrogates herself on the implications and the cost of ‘building’ in the modern world.

‘culture and the creation of forms, when emancipated from the direct experience of the people who should inhabit them and keep them alive, become nothing but arrogant and gratuitous gesticulations.’ – claire fontaine

‘unbuilding’ explores the construction and the deconstruction of spaces in both the literal and metaphorical sense. among the exhibited works is ‘counterpoison’, a film that was taken of an abandoned theatre in a popular neighborhood in glasgow. the stage and seats have been destroyed by local kids; wild animals have taken shelter in the dark corners of the theatre. the film is the only transcript of the now demolished building, reduced to a series of choppy images accompanied by the heavy breathing of the camera person.

other works featured at the exhibition is an objet trouvé: a ‘mecca’ light sign salvaged from the glasgow theatre during its life as a bingo hall. photographs of the interior in ruin are also showcased as a part of the building’s portrait.

‘counterpoison’ (video stills), 2004 video stills, digital video, colour and sound for free standing projection screen, 21 minutes image courtesy of claire fontaine

‘nurseryworld’, 2004 pasted digital print with cd-rom, dimensions variable, approx. 130 x 92 cm image courtesy of claire fontaine, galleria T293, napoli and caterina tognon arte contemporanea, venezia

‘we are with you in the night’, 2008 cold white neo, paint, cables, framework and transformers, 500 x 25 x 5 cmimage courtesy of claire fontaine, galleria T293, napoli and caterina tognon arte contemporanea, venezia