From July 31 to August 25, 2012, Galeria Vermelho is presenting a solo show by Dora Longo Bahia Imagens claras x Ideias vagas [Clear Images x Vague Ideas]. This new exhibition by the artist is guided by idea of the representation of conflict. In the series of paintings featured, Longo Bahia (50) presents images of confrontations generated by wars and revolts broadcast daily in the communication media, a theme similar to that presented in the artist’s solo show Trash Metal, in 2010. Mauricio Ianês presents in the gallery’s Room 3 works that explore the limits of language in a radical way, focusing once more in the written discourse.
In Imagens claras x Ideias vagas, Longo Bahia continues to approach the representation of social violence. This is what takes place in the two paintings Ocupação (Alemão) [Occupation (Alemão)] and Ocupação (Brasileira) [Occupation (Brazilian)], both from 2011, shown in the gallery’s Room 1. These large-format works (about 4 x 6 m) present images, taken from Internet, of the occupation of the Complexo do Alemão, in Rio de Janeiro, in July 2011. This work proposes a reflection on the spectacularization of violence by the media, questioning the understanding of the representation of the horrors of war, pain and conflict.
A similar procedure appears in the series of 80 paintings on parchment entitled Desastres da Guerra (2012). The work’s title refers to the series of prints Los Desastres de la Guerra created by Francisco de Goya (1746), in the 19th century. Longo Bahia’s Desastres da Guerra presents images created based on the reading of Susan Sontag’s book Regarding the Pain of Others, which deals with the appeal of images of violence and pain throughout history. In the series, the artist also includes the commentaries that are part of Goya’s work.
In the series Gel Poetics, Longo Bahia presents paintings created from 2011 onward, which repeat the maps of countries or regions of the planet in situations of internal or cross-border conflict. On large surfaces of green canvas, red and bright red blotches emerge from countries such as Colombia, Sudan and North Korea.
In the set Imagens claras x Ideias vagas the artist redraws the map of the planet based on the idea of the representation of conflict, raising crucial questions for the comprehension of contemporary life. In the same way as in Sontag’s book, the cruelty and violence that emerge in Longo Bahia’s paintings question how images concerning situations of discord and violence can lead to apathy. Her reflection gives rise to a surprising and challenging formulation: the relevance of these images ultimately depends on the way we look at them.
During the period of the exhibition, the study group created by Longo Bahia – consisting of the artists Bruno Storni, Fernando Pirata, Felipe Salem, Gabriela Godoi, Giorgia Mesquita, Guilherme Neumann, Henrique César, Janaina Wagner, Keila Alaver, Marcos Kaiser and Paulo Pjota – will execute a large painting on Galeria Vermelho’s façade, and will also present screenings of films and videos.
In the Room 3, Mauricio Ianês presents the polyptych “A Pedra Detrás da Fronte” [The Stone Behind the Front] created after the work of Paul Celan , besides the works Discurso [Discourse], Fala [Speech] and Voz [Voice] created in neon and oil paint.
EXHIBITIONS: Imagens claras x Ideias vagas, a solo show by Dora Longo Bahia [rooms 1 & 2]. Mauricio Ianês solo show [room 3].
OPENING: July 31, 8 p.m.
PERIOD: July 31 through August 25
FAÇADE: Painting by Bruno Storni, Fernando Pirata, Felipe Salem, Gabriela Godoi, Giorgia Mesquita, Guilherme Neumann, Henrique César, Janaina Wagner, Keila Alaver, Marcos Kaiser and Paulo Pjota.
DATE: screenings of films every Thursday during August, beginning 8 p.m.
PLACE: Galeria Vermelho
TIMES: Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ADDRESS: Rua Minas Gerais, 350 / 01244010 – São Paulo – SP – Brazil – tel.: +55 11 3138 1520
www.galeriavermelho.com.br / info@galeriavermelho.com.br
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