30 Jan 2009

A Constructed World at Uplands Gallery Melbourne

Second Last Second Chance is A Constructed World's first solo presentation in Australia following their 2007 survey exhibition Increase Your Uncertainty at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne. In 2008 ACW presented a yearlong solo exhibition program of new works and events at CAPC Museum of Contemporary Art, Bordeaux, and a two-part solo exhibition at Centre national de l'estampe et de l'art imprimé (Cneai), Chatou, France.

A Constructed World bring together new works that demonstrate moving links between different places, technologies and layers of knowledge, making a place for what is missing, forgotten or lost. In this ambulant research, that is both an exhibition and archive in motion, their work reminds us of the decisions we make that constantly force us to consider what we are willing to keep and lose.

The exhibition includes the following works: Been there done that, I've been to Bali too, a carved wooden bust embedded with a performance video work. Atheism Mat, a woven plastic carpet installation (produced with the Cneai). Le Feu Scrupuleux, a new dvd multiple encased in transparent plastic skulls (also produced with the Cneai) and burnt affects from the production of the work. Mirror Man, a speaking photograph. Costracted World Plates, a multiple work to be reassembled by the collector. Revolving Doors, a scale model of an exhibition first presented in the work 'Suicide Shrine' at CAPC, Bordeaux in 2008.

ACW also present various publications: reworkings of Time magazine and Vanity Fair (first presented in an exhibition at Foundation Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin); Not-knowing as a shared space, a reworked text with Bordelaise artist group Superflou and psychoanalyst Darian Leader; Explaining contemporary art to live eels, documentation of an event of the same name at CAPC; errors deceits mistakes #3, Melbourne Guangzhou Paris; and a series of posters made for ACW exhibitions and events over the past year.

A Constructed World have been exhibiting in Australia and internationally for more than a decade. They are influential artists in Australia, known for their projects and events including many emerging and well known Australian and international artists. Their work is held in private and public collections in Australia, Italy, France and USA including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne; the City of Paris and Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Recently they presented two new events, An hysterical play about food, at Domus-Lab, Arsenale, Venice Biennale, 11th International Architecture Exhibition in September and Hobbes Opera part 1 Seven Nation Army, at CAPC in November. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=xpy2JmiVAq4

Their work has been presented in group exhibitions at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Art and Knowledge Space, Beijing, NUS Museum, Centre for the Arts, Singapore, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. They have facilitated workshops for organisations and institutions including Foundation Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Artist Space, New York, Guggenheim Bilbao, The Serpentine Gallery, London, Goldsmiths College, London and The West Collection at SEI Investments, Pennsylvania.

A Constructed World live and work between Paris and Melbourne.