Statement 2019
Transcription of the statement for the 21st Biennial
To talk of my work—a video and a fanzine, in the 21st Biennial, I like to think that in different environments we find different rules for art work legitimation as a “piece of art”. In the publishing world, comics, video art, theater, TV, cinema, in a museum, cultural center, social network etc. It seems that not every work gets legitimation in the same way, in the same place. What is a “great piece of art” in a museum may not be in the film industry, and vice versa.
If someone were to describe the video work NOO, it’s not really different from an Instagram stories. But I introduce the work as a video zine or a video publication to give it its own fiction and its own existence. And the action of actually publishing a paper zine, live, next to the video installation, is to reflect and put in evidence this prestige/disregard towards the art value of the work. Also, to show the video vertically is a prestige/disregard move. NOO can be ZOO, if you project the rotation.
The irony is really a common mechanism in the construction of my works. And with the world today is quite easy to build irony. Most of the zoos in Argentina are shutting down, as an apparent “green” or ecological decision. But in fact, it's quite expensive to close them. Now they are naming the zoos “eco parks”, but most of the animals are still there or are dying there. The humor is used as a resource to put the irony ingredients in contrast, and not necessarily to laugh about it. I just portray this real animal stress with some fictional intervention. All the cultural references, the music, the Tarzan’s “Noo” are there so the audience can assume fiction as a “real” story. The world is so cruel that I think it is easier to connect to something that is fictional than to a situation that is 100% real.