24 Apr 2018

Most Things Happen When I Am Asleep at ARTSPACE NZ

Most Things Happen When I Am Asleep is an international exhibition bringing together the work of La Agencia from Colombia, Beta-Local from Puerto Rico, Alice Yard from Trinidad and Tobago, TEOR/ética from Costa Rica, and Cemeti Institute for Art and Society from Indonesia to Artspace NZ.

The exhibition showcases work from these places as well as offering modest proposals on how institutes can evolve, develop and constantly change, actively connecting Aotearoa to the geography and social urgencies of Indonesia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago.

As an internal exercise on the institutional workings of Artspace NZ itself, Most Things Happen When I Am Asleep publicises the work of other 'artspaces', visualising printed and pasted material in the space along with artist proposals, manifesto's, moving image work, flyers, and books, arguing that the institute can be understood through artistic work and vice versa. The different knowledges that both artists and institutional bodies produce are blended together to propose three loose themes through which to read artspaces.

The knowledges produced mean to challenge definitions of 'institutes' and 'grassroots', and other such categories, diverting attention from ideas like 'the source' and 'authenticity' to instead focus on flexible and open use. What emerges are liquid methods that produce work by navigating weather, fast changing political realities, education and life's necessities.

Design by DDMMYY