PAULINE BOUDRY / RENATE LORENZ, Untitled (Moving Backwards), 2019
60 x 65 cm
edition 50 + 6 AP
signed, numbered
published by the Swiss Pavilion of Biennale di Venezia, Venice
issued on behalf of the Venice Biennale 2019
The exhibitions of this artists duo reflect on the current political situation, that is characterised by its regressive and reactionary forces of closure towards the other and towards difference. Faced with the scale of this recent backlash, the artists, instead of practicing an outright opposition, suggest «backward movements» as a potential tool for producing alternative forms of resistance and action.
As Charlotte Laubard observes: «Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz conceive their installations as devices that lead us to renegotiate our representations. Their work produces a double inversion: it introduces gestures, images and objects that refer to current political and social issues. At the same time, it grants these elements a high degree of autonomy so that they can interact with the public and establish interrelations that challenge our modes of perception and identification.»
“Long-term symbol of attention-grabbing glamour – from hollywoodian icons’ outfit, cabarets and drag performances – the sequin fabric inhabits the work of Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz. Used often as a curtain in their installations and films, its glittering and reflecting texture enhences the physical presence of the canonnical stage material. The curtain refers to roleplay and to the performative dimension of the construction of identities. When touched, abstract and moiré shapes appear. The surface can also completely change color.”
