27 Jun 2018

QUESTIONING VALUE: Anetta Mona Chişa & Lucia Tkáčová, Cesare Pietroiusti, Stefanos Tsivopoulos

A subversive look at economic relations, questioning values, and the construction of an archive are the common denominators of the projects by Italian artist Cesare Pietroiusti, New York-based Greek artist Stefanos Tsivopoulos, and the Slovak-Romanian artistic duo Anetta Mona Chişa and Lucia Tkáčová. These artists seek out alternative economic models, which they understand as open and interactive sub-systems representing the laws of the universe. The economy reflects interpersonal relationships, ways of living together, and how we meet our needs.

Anetta Mona Chişa and Lucia Tkáčová present their work When You're Adibas and You're Dreaming of Becoming Adidas (2014), for which they commissioned Nicoleta Esinencu to write a play about the scandalous case of a father who cut off his son's finger because he stole money from him, which they then wrote onto 388 five-Euro notes. The two artists are also presenting Politiques de l'amitie (2012), a performance during which they throw confetti made of Derrida's book into the air. In his book, Derrida examined the value of friendship, its political consequences, and how it is afflicted by gender.

Cesare Pietroiusti's Free Distribution of Incomplete Works (2018) consists of 400 original drawings on 250 gram Tintoretto paper made using flames and numbered and signed by the artist. Each drawing contains the following explanatory note: 'This drawing is unfinished, and as such it cannot be considered a work of art. The person who receives this drawing undertakes to finish it by burning the entire piece of paper. Any other use of this drawing as a work of art is null and void.' Visitors to the exhibition can take the drawings with them and finish them at their own discretion.

Stefanos Tsivopoulos presents History Zero (2013), which consists of a video trilogy and the archival installation Alternative Currencies. An Archive and a Manifesto. This archive, which is presented as wallpaper, presents non-monetary economic systems from around the world. The various examples of alternative currency structures are studied in order to demonstrate multiple creative possibilities that transcend the dehumanized exchange of money on the neoliberal market.
The video trilogy asks questions as to the value of money and the roles that it plays in interpersonal relationships. It shows the lives of three very different individuals: an older art collector suffering from dementia, an immigrant who collects scrap metal on the streets, and an artist working in the city.


The project has been made possible by public support from:
Slovak Art Council, Bratislava Self-Governing Region and Ars Bratislavensis