From Sharne Wolff…
Christian Capurro has spent much of the last decade with an eraser in his hand. As an antidote to our saturation with commercial imagery and advertising, the artist spent many years eradicating its existence and transforming the remains into art. After recent residencies in Lisbon and Vienna, Capurro has taken a sidestep for his new exhibition entitled Bootleg. In this first solo show for Breenspace, Capurro displays three digital videos together with a number of related photographs.
Ideas for the videos were developed during the artist’s time overseas and continue Capurro’s interests in contemporary image culture and testing his personal levels of endurance. Each of the short films is made using the artist’s phone camera – the simple tool of the new paparazzi. Most of the films have been made with a single longish take while Capurro attempts to stay in one position for a protracted length of time. The ‘bootleg’ in the title derives from the fact that the subject of these videos is art made by other local and international artists. Capurro’s ‘retakes’ are films of these appropriated works merged seamlessly with the artist’s organic contribution. The resulting work is “part homage; part theft; part fan/part foe appropriation; part critique; part re-mastering”.
Until August 10
Breenspace, Sydney.
Pic: Christian Capurro, Moonshine (Cripps ACCA), #1–4 2010/11/13. Type C photographs, face mounted onto non-reflective acrylic, 96 x 72 cm each. Courtesy the artist and Breenspace.
