PAPERWORK AND THE WILL OF CAPITAL
Gagosian Rome is pleased to present Taryn Simon‘s first solo exhibition in Italy, following her acclaimed exhibition at Gagosian New York earlier this year, and her participation in the 56th Biennale di Venezia in 2015.
Simon’s Paperwork and the Will of Capital comprises 12 unique sculptures and 36 editioned photographs. The photographs—large, colorful, and spectacular with a nod to Pop art, and custom-framed in mahogany—speak to national and corporate symbolism; the sculptures—stylized concrete flower presses—operate in a discrete and classified zone.
Simon’s research-driven approach has produced such impactful bodies of work. In Paperwork and the Will of Capital, Simon examines accords, treaties, and decrees drafted to influence systems of governance and economics. Her photographs of the recreated centerpieces from these signings, together with their stories, underscore how the stagecraft of political and economic power is created, performed, marketed, and maintained.
Each of Simon’s recreations of these floral arrangements represents an “impossible bouquet”—a concept that emerged in Dutch still-life painting. For the recreations, Simon worked with a botanist and from archival records. She imported and remade the floral arrangements from each signing, then photographed them against striking fields. For the sculptures, selected specimens from all the arrangements were dried, pressed, and sewn to archival herbarium paper.
Paperwork and the Will of Capital addresses the instability of executive decision–making and the precarious nature of survival, as well as the reliability and endurance of records.
source: gagosian.com
Gagosian Gallery
Via Francesco Crispi 16
April 14-July 8, 2016
Opening reception: Thurs, April 14, 6:00-8:00pm
Opening hours: Tue–Sat: 10:30am–7:00pm and by appointment
