Pic © Manuel Saiz, courtesy Castlefield Gallery
Exhibition: Private Party. Keep Out, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, until March 22 2009
For acclaimed video experimenter Manuel Saiz, the evolution of his industry is as worthy a topic for artistic examination as the quality of its application.
The Spaniard founded TheVideoArtFoundation five years ago, showing 300 international video art works comprising “a complete panorama of video art creation since 1990.”
Pic © Manuel Saiz, courtesy Castlefield Gallery
In Private Party, a solo show of existing and new work, Saiz considers the relationship artists have with their installations, audience and host exhibitors. “What interests me in the art practice is the event experienced by the artist and, in my work, my own experience when inventing, developing and performing the projects,” he says.
“The objects created, exhibitions, videos, pictures, books and texts are only valuable in relation with this experience.”
Pic © Manuel Saiz, courtesy Castlefield Gallery
He mounts a plaque at the front of the show expressing his pride in providing economic and social support to the gallery and persuades fellow countryman Luis Porcar to discuss his work in dubbing the voice of John Malkovich, reversing the plot by later showing Malkovich dubbing Porcar’s efforts back into English.
It’s a take on meaning revisited in Social Sculptures, in which three actors repeat Joseph Beuys’ immortal proclamation that “everybody is an artist” in differing tones, conveying anger, sadness and joy as they do so.
Pic © Manuel Saiz, courtesy Castlefield Gallery
Points of View shows Saiz re-enacting interviews of artists on an adjacent, quieter installation, and two actors discuss issues surrounding video art and cinema in short film The Two Teams Team, exploring Saiz’s view that the “extremely demanding” nature of contemporary art means the role of the artist lies in “resource management” and “making decisions on what the priorities are and where optimal effort should be aimed.”
There’s advice on offer for viewers too – What is Art helps visitors decider what they perceive as art in a series of yes-no questions, shown as a pile of posters that the participant can take home.
Pic © Manuel Saiz, courtesy Castlefield Gallery
