Sabbatique (Saâdane Afif y Alejandro Vidal)
05 Apr - 31 May 2008
SAÂDANE AFIF y ALEJANDRO VIDAL
"Sabbatique"
Galería Elba Benítez presents a show curated by Jose Castañal, Sabbatique. The works by Alejandro Vidal (Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 1972) and Saâdane Afif (Vendome, France, 1970) meet for this special ocassion.
Authoritarianism, escapism and automatic conformism, these are the main
mechanisms set in motion when the individual confronts his or her fear of
freedom and self-insecurities. These mechanisms end up by leading to the loss of individuality, to the destruction of the world in a last-ditch attempt to avoid yielding to it, and to compliance to mediocracy.
Sabbatique proposes an approach that reassesses people in the light of their
individuality, their power as individuals and the value of their own actions.
The artworks by Alejandro Vidal and Saâdane Afif reflect this outlook; an ideal
and a way of thinking that are succinctly expressed by philosopher Jacques
Ranciére’s maxim “Liberty is not given, it is taken”.
This places us at a pivotal moment for this generation, in which both artists
develop their respective oeuvres in parallel, where the only valid approach is
action. Now that recent trends analysing and dismembering all signs and
systems have been superseded, the only logical and effective option is to take
action and directly confront the establishment, seeking to fight for social change.
Both artists work towards this goal in a positive manner, embracing an individual freedom that strives to break the borderlines that have been haphazardly imposed in an alleged attempt to control and homogenize individual thought and action. They deal with norms and conventions that affect the way we assimilate all sorts of inputs that enter our bodies. We are forced by direct exposure to certain attitudes and settings in the work of Alejandro Vidal and by the chaos and errors created by Saâdane Afif in his installations to reconsider the validity of our current system as the only possible option, whilst being simultaneously offered new ideological proposals.
These artists, who are part of the same generation, have interests in common,
and the influence of music, punk rock, raves and their respective styles have left
a deep imprint on their work. The video “Pushing up the power” by Alejandro
Vidal shows how heaving raves, which are considered in many circles to be a
process of collective catharsis, may also be seen as an epiphanic ceremony in
which the masses surrender to the figure of a DJ who drives them to the rhythm
of the beat. This bodily abandon, combined with drug-taking, creates a group of
beings striving to liberate themselves in search of profound life experiences.
Saâdane Afif portrays the outcome of these experiences in installations such as “Oasis”. The artist envisages them as the celebration of a morbid and
pathological springtime, creating tree-like assemblages from whose branches
sprout fruits in the shape of syringes, nature in turmoil. These works, like the
catharsis of raves or the cult of drug-taking, transport us to a new reality where
art serves as an ideal platform for breaking boundaries and opening up new
channels for dialogue with our society and culture.
Accordingly, Alejandro Vidal’s photographic works confront us with depictions of powerfully effective settings and characters. We contemplate a situation full of energy and tension that we have no control over, and, though we see no overt
violence, the image seems to threaten us. It is a frontal attack on the ideological conformity that dominates our way of looking at images. The ideal setting for these situations is a neutral place, off the beaten track and industrial. These places might be closer than we think. The distance between reality and fiction is fine dividing-line that may only be set by each individual spectator. Saâdane Afif, in contrast, proposes a type of setting that spectators must interact with and explore. This narcotic garden manages to simultaneously mix the spectator’s sense of curiosity and engagement with a sense of caution and detachment in light of its harmful nature.
Sabbatique proposes a courageous active stance against the burnout caused by the lies and conformity of our society.
“We are the middle children of history, with no purpose or place. We have no Great War, or Great Depression. The Great War is a spiritual war. The Great Depression is our lives. We were raised by television to believe that we'd be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars – but we won't. And we're learning that fact. And we're very, very pissedoff. We are the quiet young men who listen until it's time to decide.”
(Tyler, The Fight Club, David Fincher, 1999)
Jose Castañal
Alejandro Vidal (Palma de Mallorca, Spain 1972) lives and works in Barcelona. He has exhibited his work at numerous international centres such as Kunsthalle Winterthur in Switzerland, Fundació La Caixa in Barcelona, Palazzo delle Papesse, Sienna; Schrin Kunsthalle in Frankfurt and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Taipei. He took part in the Biennial of Busan (South Korea) in 2006. Recently he has exhibited at the Joan Prats gallery in Barcelona and is preparing a solo show for the Galleria Artra in Milan.
Saâdane Afif (Vendome, France, 1970) lives and works in Berlin. His latest exhibitions include his participation at the XII Documenta in Kassel. His work has been included in exhibitions at centres such as the Tate Modern in London, the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. He is currently preparing a solo exhibition for the Witte de With Centre in Rotterdam, Holland.
"Sabbatique"
Galería Elba Benítez presents a show curated by Jose Castañal, Sabbatique. The works by Alejandro Vidal (Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 1972) and Saâdane Afif (Vendome, France, 1970) meet for this special ocassion.
Authoritarianism, escapism and automatic conformism, these are the main
mechanisms set in motion when the individual confronts his or her fear of
freedom and self-insecurities. These mechanisms end up by leading to the loss of individuality, to the destruction of the world in a last-ditch attempt to avoid yielding to it, and to compliance to mediocracy.
Sabbatique proposes an approach that reassesses people in the light of their
individuality, their power as individuals and the value of their own actions.
The artworks by Alejandro Vidal and Saâdane Afif reflect this outlook; an ideal
and a way of thinking that are succinctly expressed by philosopher Jacques
Ranciére’s maxim “Liberty is not given, it is taken”.
This places us at a pivotal moment for this generation, in which both artists
develop their respective oeuvres in parallel, where the only valid approach is
action. Now that recent trends analysing and dismembering all signs and
systems have been superseded, the only logical and effective option is to take
action and directly confront the establishment, seeking to fight for social change.
Both artists work towards this goal in a positive manner, embracing an individual freedom that strives to break the borderlines that have been haphazardly imposed in an alleged attempt to control and homogenize individual thought and action. They deal with norms and conventions that affect the way we assimilate all sorts of inputs that enter our bodies. We are forced by direct exposure to certain attitudes and settings in the work of Alejandro Vidal and by the chaos and errors created by Saâdane Afif in his installations to reconsider the validity of our current system as the only possible option, whilst being simultaneously offered new ideological proposals.
These artists, who are part of the same generation, have interests in common,
and the influence of music, punk rock, raves and their respective styles have left
a deep imprint on their work. The video “Pushing up the power” by Alejandro
Vidal shows how heaving raves, which are considered in many circles to be a
process of collective catharsis, may also be seen as an epiphanic ceremony in
which the masses surrender to the figure of a DJ who drives them to the rhythm
of the beat. This bodily abandon, combined with drug-taking, creates a group of
beings striving to liberate themselves in search of profound life experiences.
Saâdane Afif portrays the outcome of these experiences in installations such as “Oasis”. The artist envisages them as the celebration of a morbid and
pathological springtime, creating tree-like assemblages from whose branches
sprout fruits in the shape of syringes, nature in turmoil. These works, like the
catharsis of raves or the cult of drug-taking, transport us to a new reality where
art serves as an ideal platform for breaking boundaries and opening up new
channels for dialogue with our society and culture.
Accordingly, Alejandro Vidal’s photographic works confront us with depictions of powerfully effective settings and characters. We contemplate a situation full of energy and tension that we have no control over, and, though we see no overt
violence, the image seems to threaten us. It is a frontal attack on the ideological conformity that dominates our way of looking at images. The ideal setting for these situations is a neutral place, off the beaten track and industrial. These places might be closer than we think. The distance between reality and fiction is fine dividing-line that may only be set by each individual spectator. Saâdane Afif, in contrast, proposes a type of setting that spectators must interact with and explore. This narcotic garden manages to simultaneously mix the spectator’s sense of curiosity and engagement with a sense of caution and detachment in light of its harmful nature.
Sabbatique proposes a courageous active stance against the burnout caused by the lies and conformity of our society.
“We are the middle children of history, with no purpose or place. We have no Great War, or Great Depression. The Great War is a spiritual war. The Great Depression is our lives. We were raised by television to believe that we'd be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars – but we won't. And we're learning that fact. And we're very, very pissedoff. We are the quiet young men who listen until it's time to decide.”
(Tyler, The Fight Club, David Fincher, 1999)
Jose Castañal
Alejandro Vidal (Palma de Mallorca, Spain 1972) lives and works in Barcelona. He has exhibited his work at numerous international centres such as Kunsthalle Winterthur in Switzerland, Fundació La Caixa in Barcelona, Palazzo delle Papesse, Sienna; Schrin Kunsthalle in Frankfurt and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Taipei. He took part in the Biennial of Busan (South Korea) in 2006. Recently he has exhibited at the Joan Prats gallery in Barcelona and is preparing a solo show for the Galleria Artra in Milan.
Saâdane Afif (Vendome, France, 1970) lives and works in Berlin. His latest exhibitions include his participation at the XII Documenta in Kassel. His work has been included in exhibitions at centres such as the Tate Modern in London, the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. He is currently preparing a solo exhibition for the Witte de With Centre in Rotterdam, Holland.