Pratchaya Phinthong
The work of Pratchaya Phinthong takes place in the experience of a displacement between two realities. Whether it is between two geographical points – « If I dig a very deep hole », 2007, where a negative inserted in a wall represents the same full moon photographed in Paris and several hours later in its extreme opposite location, the Chatham Islands (New Zeland) – or whether we talk about two economical contexts – « What I learned I no longer know; the little I still know, I guessed », 2009. For this work, thanks to a local network in Zimbabwe, Pratchaya Phinthong exchanged 5,000 Euros earned from the prior sale of his artworks against the Zimbabwean currency (currently the most devalued one). From a shift between two economies and value systems — the art market and the financial market, the work triggers a social enterprise based on mutual trust. It is through a dialogue with the others that Pratchaya Phinthong defines the conditions of an exchange and gets the artistic gesture to slip into the social. Art is not only looked at as a tool to observe; « it leaves its own field and become visible as part of something else ». This talk is presented in the framework of the « 12 gestures » seminar and in parallel of Phinthong’s exhibition « Give more than you take /Donne plus que tu prends » at CAC Brétigny from December 5th till February 10th 2011. More info: http://www.cacbretigny.com/inhalt/Pratchaya_Fenetre.html