Artists in Space

By Ilaria Bonacossa - 11 January 2010

The concept of space is a pivotal concern of contemporary art. At the latest edition of the Venice Biennial, artists hailing from diverse countries and backgrounds present their artistic take on the space allocated to them. In Ritardi e Rivoluzioni, a section curated by Francesco Bonami and Daniel Birnbaum, the conception of space and its transformation is entrusted to two key figures: Dan Graham and Jonas Dahlberg.
In Opposing mirrors and video monitors on time delay, a seminal installation first presented in 1974, Graham reflects on himself, on self-awareness and the whole issue of delayed perception. Two closed-circuit movie cameras film and, after a short time lag, play back images of the visitor as he moves around the installation. The whole perception process is further complicated by a series of reflecting mirrors. Nearby, swedish Jonas Dahlberg’s installation Untitled (Vertical Sliding), created in 2001, invites the public to discover an apartment through a series of black and white pictures that scroll disconcertingly from top to bottom.
Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco’s spatial investigation is called Ombra tra cerchi d’acqua (Shadows between circles of water).
Sited in a pre-existing structure, the installation is both a reflection on and a means of expression. Says Orozco: “I was fascinated by Carlo Scarpa’s splendid 1952 patio designed to house sculptures. So I rotated it 90o to get a better appreciation…Then I decided to study it further and include it in the world of art. In this way, I have taken something from the real world - the patio - and included it in a work of art as a scale model. Here inside and outside come together. Scarpa’s patio is a work of art in itself but one that has become weathered and soiled by the elements and pollution; in my version, it is once again pure and immaculate”.
The section Il Quotidiano Alterato (The Everyday Transformed) has one of the most striking displays of the whole Biennial: Cosmic...