Franics Alÿs
28 Sep - 14 Dec 2008
Francis Alÿs
Bolero (Shoe Shine Blues), 1996-2007
Graphite, tape, and collage on vellum
1 of 384 framed drawings, installed with DVD animation, 9:40 min, maquette,
wooden table, and string
Bolero (Shoe Shine Blues), 1996-2007
Graphite, tape, and collage on vellum
1 of 384 framed drawings, installed with DVD animation, 9:40 min, maquette,
wooden table, and string
Mexico City-based artist Francis Alÿs uses diverse media to address Latin America’s recurrent social, economic, and political troubles. For his exhibition at The Renaissance Society, Alÿs will present his animation Bolero, along with the 511 graphite drawings from which the animation is made, and Politics of Rehearsal, a 30-minute video that combines footage of a speech by President Truman, narration by critic Cuauhtémoc Medina, and a rehearsal for a striptease. Rehearsal parallels sociopolitical promises from Latin America with the tactics of a stripper—always leaving something to be desired.