09 Jan 2012

Daniel Blaufuks: Works on Memory at Ffotogallery

Daniel Blaufuks: Works on Memory
Opening Friday 13 January, continues until 25 February 2012
Ffotogallery

Ffotogallery, the national development agency for photography and lens-based media in Wales, is delighted to present the first solo exhibition in the UK by Daniel Blaufuks, one of Portugal's most celebrated contemporary artists.

Daniel Blaufuks, whose work combines photography, video, sound and installation, is an artist fascinated by the processes of memory – how we construct meaning in our lives through the accrual of details and traces. For Blaufuks, memory is intrinsic to our notions of time, space and place and by definition to photography, literature and film, archives and documentation. Each object he photographs becomes a cue for something else, for some emotional relationship, for some reminiscence that might be important but somehow remains elusive, just outside our consciousness. The hand-written note, postcard, concert ticket, passport stamp, shopping receipt; as individual images they appear to have little significance and meaning, but presented in a series they encourage us to look for patterns and relationships, to build a coherent narrative from the shards and fragments of personal or collective memory.

Blaufuks is also interested in the methods by which we archive, store and retrieve information – our ability to remember. His photographic images of film canisters, cassette tapes, celluloid film strips and negatives remind us that as each analogue 'memory container' is superceded by new technological developments, our capacity to record data may increase exponentially, but something is also lost in the process. For Blaufuks, photography is more than simply a trigger for retrieving past memories. Photography is memory. From the act of photographing something new, or incorporating a found image in a work, new memories and associations are formed.

Works on Memory is co-curated by Filipa Oliveira and Ffotogallery Director David Drake. A new Ffotogallery publication Works on Memory will accompany the exhibition. Project supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Artist Talk:
Saturday 14 January 2012, 11 - 2

Please join us to find out more about the exhibition at our special 'walk and talk' event with Daniel Blaufuks and the curators, Filipa Oliviera and David Drake. There will also be an opportunity to purchase an artist signed copy of the new book Works on Memory, published by Ffotogallery to coincide with the exhibition.

Further Information:

Daniel Blaufuks
Born in Lisbon, Daniel Blaufuks uses mainly photography and video, presenting his work through books, installations and films. He has a predilection for issues such as the connection between time and space and the representation of private and public memory. He has exhibited widely in Europe and South America.
www.danielblaufuks.com

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a charitable foundation established in Portugal in 1956 with cultural, educational, social and scientific interests. Its founder, Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, was an Armenian born near Istanbul. Multicultural and multilingual he spent his career bringing people from different cultures and nationalities together. The purpose of the UK Branch, based in London, is to help enrich and connect the experiences of people in the UK and Ireland and secure lasting, beneficial change, with a special interest in supporting those who are most disadvantaged. One of our core aims is to improve cultural, understanding between cultures and through culture. For further information please see: www.gulbenkian.org.uk

Ffotogallery
As the major force for contemporary photography in Wales, Ffotogallery is recognised as the forum for contemporary debate and a focus for new developments in British and international photographic art. As a national organisation, its view is naturally outward looking, with an exhibition programme featuring photographers from Wales and the rest of the world. Ffotogallery seeks to widen its range of influence through touring exhibitions, collaborations with other organisations and galleries, through publications, and an expanding education programme.
www.ffotogallery.org