João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva
22 September - 20 November 2011
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| The Soup, 2009
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JOÃO MARIA GUSMÃO AND PEDRO PAIVA
Alien Theory
22 September - 20 November, 2011
The Frac Ile-de-France/Le Plateau is presenting Alien Theory, the first
solo show in France of the Portuguese artists João Maria Gusmão and
Pedro Paiva. Since 2001, João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva have been
introducing what they themselves describe as the writing of a "poetic
philosophical fiction”, by way of installations, objects and short
films. Influenced by science fiction, ethnography and the occult
sciences and paranormal phenomena, their silent short films question the
boundaries of perception through small enigmatic scenarios, forever
wavering between reality and fiction, wit and poetry. These films, which
are very low budget, with low-tech special effects, deliberately reveal
to us the mainsprings of their making. If, at first glance, their
approach seems to have a scientific character, it actually turns out to
be more akin to the pataphysics of Alfred Jarry, ironically
appropriating the investigative methods of archaeology and anthropology.
In tandem with their visual work, since 2005 they have been publishing
the philosophical review Eflúvio Magnético, which covers the vast range
of their different research and work. At Le Plateau, the exhibition will
plunge visitors into a succession of dark rooms where, like so many
apparitions confirming the deeply magical nature of their method, they
will discover a series of short films as well as several particularly
disquieting camera obscuras. Through these different works—at once
pieces produced over the past few years and brand new productions
executed in particular during two residencies in Africa last summer—João
Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva focus especially on presenting the figure
of the animal and its relationship to man in a decidedly cosmic
environment.
João Maria Gusmão (b. 1979) and Pedro Paiva (b. 1977) represented
Portugal at the 2009 Venice Biennale. They have had monographic
exhibitions in many museums and contemporary art centres, including the
Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, San Francisco, the Kunstverein in
Hanover, the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, the Museu de Arte Contemporâneo
of Castilla y Leon, the Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation, Stockholm,
the Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon ... They have taken
part in international events and shows such as the Gwangju Biennial in
2010, Manifesta in 2008, the Mercolsul Biennial at Porto Alegre in 2007,
and the Sao Paulo Biennial in 2006.
www.fracidf-leplateau.com
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