La Conservera
Second Series of Exhibitions
13 September – 22 November 2009
Opening: Saturday September 12 2009
La Conservera
Contemporary Art Center
Avda. de Lorquí s/n
30562 Ceutí, Murcia
Spain
info [at] laconservera.org
http://www.laconservera.org
La Conservera is pleased to announce its second series of exhibitions by Rosalía Banet, Annika von Hausswolff, Marilyn Minter and Mickalene Thomas.
Rosalía Banet (Spain – 1972)
“Las Golosas” Sweet and Sour Preserves
Oval Space & Ceutí
Rosalía Banet will be presenting her largest installation to date, which has been produced in its entirety by La Conservera. The work is structured around the Siamese twins Sara Li and Ana K. In their still short life the twins have founded a sweet and sour preserve factory which bears their name: “Las Golosas” Sweet and Sour Preserve Factory. It is a small family business where, like their mothers before them, they cook dishes made with their own feelings. So through food they convey their feelings to those who taste them and satisfy what Freud saw as the basic needs of human beings: hunger and love.
The exhibition is divided between two spaces, the first being located in the Oval Space at La Conservera, where the factory is reproduced with all its workers (pairs of Siamese twins) and the various departments it comprises (butchery, packing, labelling, etc.), using 1:20 scale figures. A short distance away, within the town of Ceutí, one can visit the factory shop, where visitors will be able to buy and taste products produced in the factory (fresh tongues, foetuses in flower, dried eyes, etc.).
La Conservera has published a special issue of the magazine VANITY FEAR totally devoted to the siamese sisters Las Golosas.
Annika von Hausswolff (Sweden – 1967)
The Black Box is Orange
Spaces 1 and 2
Contradictory feelings of unease and curiosity evoked by her macabre stories and glimpses of the unexpected in the everyday. In her carefully composed photographs the human body is often physically present or tangible in the traces left behind. Using well-known motifs and art historical references Annika von Hausswolff’s work exists on the border between the documentary and the staged. In the last few years her world of images has increasingly taken physical shape in the exhibition space through the use of objects and props.
In Space 1 she will present a series of constructions produced by La Conservera for this exhibition. Built of wood, like portraits, and all of different sizes, they resemble window frames with metal blinds hanging on them, the latter being twisted, manipulated or bent to a greater or lesser degree. Space 2 will present a selection of her most iconic photographs devoted to the female body, as well as two of her latest series, none of which has been shown before in Spain.
La Conservera has published a catalogue for this exhibition with texts by Lars-Erik Hjertström Lappalainen and Rocío de la Villa.
Marilyn Minter (USA – 1948)
Space 3
Marilyn Minter has examined the relationship between the photograph and the painted image — in particular, the ways in which these media reflect and influence our understanding of gender, sexuality and desire. Her compelling large-scale paintings, often exaggerated close-ups, reveal tremendous detail, and a subversive approach to glamour.
Space 3 will present five bodies of work which offer one of the most complete readings of her output. The photographic series Coral Ridge Towers, taken in 1969 and concealed from public view by the artist’s own decision for over three decades, shows the decline of a woman addicted to sleeping pills (her mother) over the course of a weekend — a ragged ghost of a woman stubbornly clinging to, but inevitably failing at, Hollywood beauty standards. On two enormous cubes, covered with spectacular wallpaper produced by La Conservera, visitors will be able to see the painting series Bubble and the photographic series Pamela Anderson. At the far end of the room the nine-minute video Green Pink Caviar, the backdrop to the song Candy Shop on Madonna’s latest/current tour, the Sticky & Sweet Tour, will be shown.
Mickalene Thomas (USA – 1971)
Something You Can Feel
Space 4
Mickalene Thomas depicts African-American women in intimate household settings using acrylic paint, enamel, and rhinestones. The many decorative patterns of the clothing, blankets, wall coverings and upholstery are mainly inspired by the artist’s cultural identity and her memories of growing up in the 70s. Other sources of inspiration for Thomas’s work are women, including her mother, 70s icons, and those depicted in print advertisements, album covers and art history.
Space 4 will present a series of paintings and photographs which reveal the fascinating world of this artist. At the far end of this space La Conservera has produced an installation in situ which recreates her grandmother’s parlour in the 1970s, a type of scene which the artist often creates and constructs as a setting for her photographs. In the upper room of Space 4 a series of video paintings will be presented.
La Conservera has published a catalogue for this exhibition with texts by Isolde Brielmaier and Iván López Munuera.
La Conservera
Contemporary Art Center
Avda. de Lorquí s/n
30562 Ceutí, Murcia
Spain
http://www.laconservera.org
info [at] laconservera.org