the european biennial of contemporary art
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artists

João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva

João Maria Gusmão, 1979, Lisbon, PT Pedro Paiva, 1977, Lisbon, PT They live in Lisbon, PT

Heraclitus Head, 2008 Glass sculpture on iron structure, 180 × 80 × 80 cm The Solids Projector (or the Dream of a Rock), 2008 Installation, dimensions variable The following are all 16 mm films, color, no sound _Eye Eclipse_ , 2007, 2’ 40’ _Heraclitus 2_ , 2007, 2’ 40’’ _Hydraulics of Solids (or the Man that Eats Stone)_ , 2007, 4’ 13’’ _The Great Drinking Bout_ , 2007, 8’ 57’’ _The Human Torch_ , 2007, 2’ 23’’ _The Unbreakable Stone_ , 2007, 1’ 28’’ _Essay on a Liquid Sculpture_ , 2006–07, 2’ _The Shadow Man_ , 2006 – 07, 1’ 40’’ _Colombo’s Column_ , 2006, 3’ 02’’ _The Throw 1_ , 2006, 2’ 40’’ _Fulcrum_ , 2005, 3’ 20’’

ROVERETO

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Gusmão + Paiva’s cinematic oeuvre is developed in quasi-archaeological investigations into the areas of the beyond real, the phenomenal and the paranormal. The artists work at the borderlines of knowledge, challenging ordinary perceptions of the world and searching for the metaphysical dimensions of human beings. The obsolete and the enigmatic are considered as catalysts in this polyphonic, esoteric project. It is built from a maze of references, ranging from alchemy, occultism, positivistic experimentalism and speculative philosophy to the theater of the absurd and science fiction literature. Nietzsche, Jarry and Bergson contribute to this construction-site of myth and science. Gusmão + Paiva’s recent Abissology series refers to a non-existent science, as mentioned in René Daumal’s novel La Grand Beuverie (1938). Here the study of the abyss is conceived as part of the indiscernible or negative existence, which affirms the perceivable world. Gathered together under this label, short films, sculptures and installations narrate the mysteries and magic of nature, questioning all available epistemological systems and mechanism of perception. The artists’ contribution to Manifesta 7 includes a selection from the Abissology and Magnetic Effluvium films, from profound studies of illusion and deceit to an analysis of truth and potency. In The Solids Projector (or the Dream of a Rock) installation, an inverted camera obscura functions as a projector, further exploring the architectonics of vision and the intricacies of image production.


Location

ROVERETO

ADAM BUDAK: "PRINCIPLE HOPE"

EX PETERLINI, VIA SAVIOLI 20 – MANIFATTURA TABACCHI, P.ZZA MANIFATTURA 1 -STAZIONE FERROVIARIA, PIAZZALE ORSI, I-38068 ROVERETO, ITALY

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