Pedro Cabrita Reis on the occasion of the 59th Venice Biennale at Chiesa di San Fantin
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Pedro Cabrita Reis presents Field, a large-scale sculpture within Chiesa di San Fantin during the 59th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia.
Field dominates the vast interior of the church, spreading out, on, and across the central area of the nave. Its expansive, varied topography grounds and holds the floorspace, reinforcing the perception of the volumes above. The sculpture is a form of low-relief, consisting of an indeterminate grid of steel platforms which evoke the passerelle used during acqua alta conditions in the city. Complete within its boundaries, a multitude of uniform LED light tubes burn steadily on these platforms, underneath the occlusion of debris that appears to have rained down from above. The overlaid chaos of the debris field contrasts strongly with the regularity of the lights forming the grid below.
Through Cabrita’s use of vernacular materiality (industrial lighting, demolition fragments) which summon archaic conceptual mythologies (as above, so below; light versus dark), Field occupies a literal, as well as figurative middle space, setting up a state of affairs for the viewer to resolve physical, conceptual and spiritual tensions. Presented during current and ongoing threats to humanity on this planet (pandemics, climate change, political divisions, techno-feudalism), Field invites engagement and awareness in a physical environment that offers viewers the opportunity to engage their imaginations, in manifesting alternative future possibilities, and potentialities that can be personally enriching and mutually rewarding.