Richmond BC, Canada #richmondartgallerybc
Co-presented by Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond Public Art, and Capture Photography Festival in partnership with Canada Line Public Art Program – InTransit BC
Brendan Fernandes uses historically significant patterns to tell stories of power and resistance. Evoking a sense of urgency and emergency, “dazzle” patterns, which were painted on warships to confuse the enemy, are coupled with purple and magenta plaid, which at once symbolizes British colonial rule in Kenya, a warning to predators in the wild, and the flashing of police lights. Fernandes playfully wraps this symbolic print across Lansdowne Station. The gesture offers a moment to contemplate solidarity, resiliency, protection, and care during these trying times.
The print seen in this installation is one used as a backdrop in The Left Space, an online performance by the artist. Faced with a global pandemic, we have had to reimagine the ways that we gather, protest, and achieve critical mass. In the fall of 2020, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto presented The Left Space, developed by Fernandes specifically for the online platform Zoom. In the performance, custom backdrops, such as the one seen here, and on-and-off camera sequences intervened in and aesthetically connected a team of dancers performing from their homes around the world.
This installation is presented in conjunction with the artist’s exhibition Inaction, which was on view at the Richmond Art Gallery from February to April 2021.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, and currently based in Chicago, Fernandes is an internationally recognized artist working at the intersection of dance and visual arts. He is currently an artist-in-residence and a member of faculty in the Department of Art, Theory and Practice at Northwestern University. Fernandes addresses issues of freedom, sanctuary and social solidarity in his work, which has been shown at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, MOMA, the Getty Museum in LA., the National Gallery of Canada, the 2019 Whitney Biennial and many more. Fernandes is working on a new piece commissioned by the Richmond Art Gallery at Capture Photography Festival in April 2021. Brendan is represented by Monique Meloche.
Visit this link to view Henry Heng Lu leading a Mandarin language tour of ‘The Left Space’ by Brendan Fernandes at Lansdowne Canada Line Station.
Video by Sahand Mohajer. Produced by Capture Photography Festival.
Curated by Shaun Dacey, Richmond Art Gallery in partnership with Richmond Public Art. Thank you to Henry Heng Lu, Brendan Fernandes, and InTransitBC.We gratefully acknowledge the support of Metro Vancouver’s Regional Cultural Project Grants Program.
Capture攝影節加拿大線公共藝術專案
2021年Lansdowne天車站
布蘭登·費爾南德斯
1979年出生於肯亞，目前生活和工作於芝加哥和多倫多
左空間（2020年）
圖片由藝術家提供
策劃合作：列治文市公共藝術部門
承辦合作：捷運加拿大線公共藝術專案InTransit BC
策展人：Shaun Dacey
翻譯：盧恆
布蘭登·費爾南德斯運用具有歷史意義的圖案來講述權力，偽裝和抵抗的故事。 這些圖案喚起了一種緊迫和緊張感：軍艦上的「炫目」圖案被用來迷惑敵人，與紫色和洋紅色格子圖案交相輝映；後者則是英國在肯亞殖民的象徵，用於警示逍遙野外的捕食者，同時也是警車上警燈的顏色。 費爾南德斯巧妙地將這幅具有象徵意義的圖案安裝在Lansdowne天車站外牆。 此舉旨在讓處於這困難時期的人們駐足片刻，思考和珍視團結，復原，保護和關懷。
由於新冠疫情在全球的蔓延，我們不得不重新想像聚眾集會，遊行，以及如何實現必要的聚集的方式。2020年秋季，安大略美術館呈現了費爾南德斯的表演作品「左空間」；該作品的編排是專門根據網路攝像頭和Zoom平臺的網格結構設計的。 在該線上表演中，特別客製化的背景圖和有序開關的攝影機進行互動，將在世界各地家中表演的舞者美妙地聯繫起來。 本次在Lansdowne天車站展出的作品是「左空間」中使用的背景圖像。
與該作品聯動，費爾南德斯的展覽「不行動」於2021 年二月至四月在列治文美術館展出。
