Bernardi Roig "Pierrot le fou is (not) Dead"
Claire Oliver
This event has ended.
Bernardí Roig, one of today’s most prominent names in Spain’s contemporary art scene, makes use of media as it suits him. His sculptures, installations, videos and drawings use the human figure as the conceptual center of the work. Roig creates dynamism between what at first blush may seem traditional sculpture and the artist’s new conceptual minimalism.
Roig's current body of work, Pierrot le fou is (not) Dead, speaks of society at the edges, at a time tainted by the loss of historical memory and identity. As in the postmodern Godard film from which the exhibition takes its title, these works focus on the conflicts that arise from the lack of communication between us. In a mass media-addled mindset Roig’s individuals lose the ability to distinguish truth from fiction or important issues from trivial ones. The artist uses light as a metaphor: fluorescent tubes encase his subjects, blinding them. From here, the artist explores the dynamics of voyeurism and the unsettling dimension of artistic imagery, revisiting classical myths, baroque iconography and memento mori, filtered through the fundamental issues of post-modern thought. By uniting his own philosophical and literary iconography, the artist has defined a modern form of realism.
The new works in this upcoming exhibition move the artist’s vision forward to another level of questions and understanding. Bernardì Roig's practice proposes a reflection on the contemporary human condition; on his isolation, his desires and immortality. Regardless of the medium chosen – sculpture, drawing or video – the artist's creations revolve on the two key concepts of body confinement and impossibility of vision. His notorious white sculptures – casts of real people – represent a journey where the memory of the image plays a vital role.
[Image: Bernardi Roig "Despondency Exercises (detail)" Polyester resin, metal rods, and fluorescent lights, 74 x 15 x 27 in.]
Media
Schedule
from December 10, 2009 to January 23, 2010
Opening Reception on 2009-12-10 from 18:00 to 20:00