Exhibition 211

File:Trong Gia Nguyen, intervention with divinity, toilets, graffiti, and beer, 2009. Courtesy: Exhibition, via Art21.jpg

Trong Gia Nguyen, intervention with divinity, toilets, graffiti, and beer, 2009. Image via art21.org, courtesy: Exhibition

Exhibition (211), at the time refered to as simply 'Exhibition' or '211', was a six-month-long continuous art-experiment as exhibition, that ran from March until August 2009. It was initiated and programmed by artist friends Elena Bajo, Eric Anglès, Jakob Schillinger, Nathalie Anglès, and Warren Neidich, offering “an experimental and contradictory artistic and curatorial approach”, notably a set of rules, defining when, where, and who by, artistic interventions would take place.

The project was established in the loaned storefront of a luxury condominium development at 211 Elizabeth Street. Being close to the New Museum, and two blocks from Prada and Armani, Exhibition spoke not only to the current economic climate, following the financial crisis of 2007–2008, but the problems of art treated as a (luxury) commodity.

Exhibition (211) exhibited over 50, and up to 100 artists, including: Mathieu Copeland, Loretta Fahrenholz, Donna Huanca, Sean Raspet, Patricia Reed, Liz Magic Laser, David Levine, Georgia Sagri, and Mark Tribe. Although each artist’s work was not specifically identified due to the rules of adaptation and evolution involved in their participation.

Rules

The approach, guided by a set of rules, became integral to the forms and conversations that pursued. Elena Bajo, Eric Anglès, Jakob Schillinger, Nathalie Anglès, and Warren Neidich discussed many potential artists to be invited, the names of which were then put into, and subsequently drawn from a hat. The artist would then be invited to space and asked if they would work with the concept and requirements:

• 1. The artist is drawn from a hat.

• 2. The artist works in one of six areas determined by a roll of dice.
• 3. The artist could then decide to add to, modify or clear out the section before going on.

• 1. The work is not for sale and belongs to no one.
• 2. The work is an intervention upon interventions.

• 3. The work can be modified, parasitized and destroyed.

The approach of Exhibition echoed the cut-up technique by Bryon Gysin and William S. Burroughs, which is also visible in Warren Neidich’s own artistic practice.

“The method is simple. Here is one way to do it. Take a page. Like this page. Now cut down the middle and cross the middle. You have four sections: 1 2 3 4 ... one two three four. Now rearrange the sections placing section four with section one and section two with section three. And you have a new page. Sometimes it says much the same thing. Sometimes something quite different--(cutting up political speeches is an interesting exercise)--in any case you will find that it says something and something quite definite. Take any poet or writer you fancy. Heresay, or poems you have read over many times. The words have lost meaning and life through years of repetition. Now take the poem and type out selected passages. Fill a page with excerpts. Now cut the page. You have a new poem. As many poems as you like. As many Shakespeare Rimbaud poems as you like.”

External links

• Exhibition 211 on Blogspot