Collaborative action, graphite powder, digital prints, installaion.
Detail.
Detail.
Detail.
Detail.
"Progresso" was conceived for the exhibition "Avante, Brasil" at Kunst im Tunnel, Düsseldorf, Germany.
During the process of setting up the exhibition, the word “progresso” (progress) was written on the floor of the exhibition room at a large scale using loose graphite powder. The powder rendered the surface slippery, requiring staff and artists to be more attentive to their activities, as stepping on the slippery word was unavoidable. With each step, the word gradually lost its definition until it was completely dissolved. This process was captured by a camera mounted on the ceiling of the room, which took a photograph every minute. Of all the photos, forty-eight were selected, printed, and hung on the wall next to where the word had been inscribed on the floor. They were arranged in a random order, except for the first and last photos, which were the actual first and last images taken by the artist. The word "progresso" is displayed on the Brazilian flag alongside "ordem" (order).
By making the word slippery and hazardous, destroying it with the steps of the workers, and reshuffling the order of the resulting displayed images, Ianês critiques the imposition of the concept of progress in a colonial nation, where progress relies on the violent exploitation and displacement of enslaved Africans and the programmed extermination of the indigenous peoples in Brazil.
During the process of setting up the exhibition, the word “progresso” (progress) was written on the floor of the exhibition room at a large scale using loose graphite powder. The powder rendered the surface slippery, requiring staff and artists to be more attentive to their activities, as stepping on the slippery word was unavoidable. With each step, the word gradually lost its definition until it was completely dissolved. This process was captured by a camera mounted on the ceiling of the room, which took a photograph every minute. Of all the photos, forty-eight were selected, printed, and hung on the wall next to where the word had been inscribed on the floor. They were arranged in a random order, except for the first and last photos, which were the actual first and last images taken by the artist. The word "progresso" is displayed on the Brazilian flag alongside "ordem" (order).
By making the word slippery and hazardous, destroying it with the steps of the workers, and reshuffling the order of the resulting displayed images, Ianês critiques the imposition of the concept of progress in a colonial nation, where progress relies on the violent exploitation and displacement of enslaved Africans and the programmed extermination of the indigenous peoples in Brazil.
