LB°18 — Artists
ARKIV
Francis Alÿs (b. in Antwerpen, 1959) is an artist based in Mexico City.
In Paradox of Praxis 5: Sometimes we dream as we live & sometimes we live as we dream, Ciudad Juárez, México (2013), Francis Alÿs attempts to enact the aphorism expressed in the work’s title, and in doing so problematizes the idea of trying to create something beautiful in the face of a terrible situation. Here, Alÿs kicks a flaming soccer ball through Ciudad Juárez at night. His path is illuminated only by the light from the fire, which he must strike with his foot in order to proceed. The darkness of the night provides a veil for the city’s ever-present problems, including the sale of drugs, prostitution, and police indifference, which are only momentarily glimpsed along his route. This type of walking comprises an important facet of Alÿs’s practice, the repetitive, meditative action serving as a catalyst for the recognition of deep-rooted issues. The artistic act becomes at once poetic, absurd, impossible, yet somehow possible.
Francis Alÿs (b. in Antwerpen, 1959) is an artist based in Mexico City.
Thanks to David Zwirner Gallery.
Work
Paradox of Praxis 5: Sometimes we dream as we live & sometimes we live as we dream, 2013
Location
Luleå konsthall
17.11.18–17.2.19
