Bale Literal (Literal Ballet) from artist Laura Lima is an exhibition in motion-objects and artworks dance through the space in a choreographed movement of the absurd. Hanging from a pulley system, the objects (or ballerinas) glide and bounce across the gallery, powered by the energy of a cyclist on a modified bike apparatus. The objects, lighting, musical score, support team, and pulley system function like a living organism: evolving, adapting, and moving in perfect synchrony. The sound and lighting theatrics, controlled simultaneously by the cyclist, create particular moods and atmospheres which transform the objects into living beings. The Bale Literal allows the viewer to construct their own narratives from its riotous cadences, inviting interpretation and improvisation in a carnivalesque call-and-response. Laura Lima is a Brazilian artist whose work is "not installation, not performance, not cinema." Lima's work, which she sometimes calls 'images' are attempts to visually articulate the philosophical concerns that preoccupy her and destabilize the structures we take for granted. Her work often creates ambiguous and performative situations, in which human relationships are examined, and social expectations are overturned. Her solo exhibitions have popped up in institutions around the world such as MACBA Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, Fondazione Prada, National Gallery of Denmark, Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires, Bonniers Konsthall (Stockholm), Migros Museum fur Gegenwartskunst (Zurich), and many others. Moreover, Lima's works are held in numerous important collections, including the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles;Modern Art Museum of Sao Paulo; Bonniers Konsthall, Sweden; Migros Museum fur Gegenwartskunst, Switzerland; Zabludowicz Collection; and the Bonnefantenmuseum, The Netherlands, among others. The music for this iteration of the Bale Literal was specially created by Arto Lindsay, Thiago Nassif, and Rodrigo Coelho. Exhibition on display from April 24th to May 30th.
New York City, NY; NYC