A la intempèrie

A LA INTEMPÈRIE (FACING THE ELEMENTS INCLEMENCY)

Ignasi Aballí, Alfredo Jaar, Perejaume, Jaume Plensa, Eulàlia Valldosera, Manuel Guerrero Brullet

2012-2014

A methacrylate box containing 4 digital giclée prints, a drypoint print, and a poem. Each of the pieces has been made by one of the five artists participating in the collection. The collection is presented in a methacrylate box that allows one of the pieces to be displayed, and exchanged, at the back. All the works are collected in a sleeve accompanied by the edition justification. The transparent design expresses the idea of the fragility of what it contains and protects it from the elements.

The proposal by Ignasi Aballí stems from the idea of the double interpretation of the concept “intemperie” (weathering/inclemency). On the one hand, the weather in its most physical sense, for although it generates a feeling of freedom it also exposes us defenceless to its inclemency. On the other, to the buffeting to which we are exposed through the misinformation generated, paradoxically, by the excess of information in which we live immersed. Aballí cuts a photograph from a newspaper, that shows the sky, and in this way reproduces with the gesture, the act of harvesting information. In the enlargement, the plot of the image becomes evident, as do the letters printed on the back, which reinforces the idea that the information shown is not complete. Finally, the ripped paper intensifies the concept of temporality of A la intempèrie. Alfredo Jaar presents the photograph of the remains of an ancient palace in Algeria, of which only the exterior walls remain. The construction, situated in front of the sea, looks towards Spain and herein lies the title of the work, referring to the large number of migrants, who day after day, cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. In his way of working, Jaar doesn’t seek a specific image so much as documents the spaces he finds. The political analysis appears in his subsequent reflection. For Jaume Plensa the concept of weathering is fundamental in art. Weathering signifies direct contact with reality and implies courage, but also suffering and tension. It is this dialogue, that arises between the work and its context, that the artist finds interesting. Eulàlia Valldosera considers herself, and claims to be an artist, who has always worked with inclemency. In the photograph presented, a still life in a kitchen of the Eixample, a disembodied liver is placed on a marble surface, with a bottle of washing up liquid and a single-use plastic tray. The three elements together talk of the toxicity of these everyday materials that the artist defines as dangerous for health. Lastly, Perejaume presents a participatory piece in which he invited different people, from the Pere Mitjans Foundation, with psychic and physical disabilities, to draw a tree in drypoint on copper. Under the drawing each participant wrote their name, generating a forest of trees with interwoven roots.

The edition contains:

Ignasi Aballí, Cel 1, 2012. Digital giclée print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper, 308 g, 41 x 59,4 cm.

Alfredo Jaar, Buscando a España, 2013. Digital giclée print on Ilford Smooth High Gloss paper, 59,4 x 41 cm.

Perejaume, Arbres de..., 2014. Recto: 4 copper drypoint plates. Verso: Photogravure. Hahnemühle paper 300 g, 41 x 59,4 cm.

Jaume Plensa, Ombres, 2013. Digital giclée print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper, 308 g, subsequently embossed, 41 x 59,4 cm.

Eulàlia Valldosera, Saturn a la cuina, 2014. Digital giclée print on Hahnemühle Matt Fibre paper, 200 g, 41 x 59,4 cm.

Manuel Guerrero Brullet, A la intempèrie, 2014. Poem to Pina Bausch.

Publication curated by Manel Guerrero Brullet.

Graphic design by Jaume Roure.

The edition is made up of:

65 copies, signed and numbered 1/65 to 65/65.

6 copies PA, signed and numbered PA I/VI to PA I/VI.

5 copies PA, signed and numbered PA 1/5 to PA 5/5.