Curated by Irina Zucca Alessandrelli

Opening:
Friday the 12th of December from 6 to 9 pm
POINT B Special projects, 71 North 7th St, Brooklyn

The Influence of Fish Tales on the Breaking Waves derives its name from Jules Verne’s novel entitled “The Green Ray” (1882), in which  the author describes  the disenchantment of the world brought about by the advance of science. In order to stress the importance of the creative thought, Verne chooses the artist, as the captor of the heroine’s heart, rather than the cold and methodical geologist, who is also in love with her. In the end, the artist recommends unsolved research themes, such as “the influence of fish tails on the breaking waves” as a sarcastic answer to the explanation of the green ray as mere optical phenomenon. The author’s vision of art emphasizes the emotive component in deciphering life and natural events against scientific arguments.

The Influence of Fish Tales on the Breaking Waves as an exhibition represents a warning against apathy that exists in contemporary art. When a viewer lacks a reaction to an artwork, this is often because of the artist’s inability to fantasize before, during and after the making of the piece, and consequently the work does not speak. The incapability of imagining beyond the rational here and now can lead to mute, deaf, blind artworks and audience.

This group show seeks to stimulate the viewer towards a perception of the resonant aspects of art and its components of wonder. Through a game of associations, the exhibition attempts to underline the artwork’s capacity to reach out, quoting Stephen Greenblatt’s words, “beyond formal boundaries to a larger world, to evoke in the viewer the complex, dynamic cultural forces from which it has emerged”. A faith in wonder as “an arresting sense of uniqueness”, as well as in the object’s ability to communicate and arouse a sense of surprise in the viewer, is the driving engine of this exhibition.

Artists: Arlen Austin, Kuba Bakowski, Per Billgren, Nina Canell & Robin Watkins, Aoife Collins, Mark Dion,  Andrea Galvani, Jamie Isenstein, Ana Prvacki.
As a Master Course in Curatorial Studies final thesis project, this show is proudly sponsored by Columbia University.
This is a travelling project. The next venue will be the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art in Vaasa, Finland. For the following exhibition spaces and dates, please check out:

www.theinfluenceoffishtailsonthebreakingwaves.com  

5 DAYS ONLY!

Hours: Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th from 1 to 6pm.
Monday the 15th and Tuesday the 16th from 5 to 8 pm, or by appointment.