Part 1 of 2 for a long form explainer of my recent solo exhibition signalling the end of my research project over summer 2021 with Pols in Valencia, Spain.
‘Hospitality’ was my debut solo exhibition and international commission, and I was the first non-Spanish artist Pols had hosted on their programme. We worked it out on our feet with thrift and enthusiasm, and I’m so grateful for the graft, warmth and positive attitude that Néstor, Carles and Paula put into getting me out there and supporting my work.
Pols (dust in Catalan) is an art space in Valencia initiated in Autumn 2019 by Carles Àngel Saurí, Néstor García Díaz and Paula García–Masedo Fernández.
Dust (noun). Remains from organic and synthetic matter, life and death processes, technologies, bodies, territories and their limits in neoliberal productive contexts as well as the horizons of possibility articulated by practices of recollection, recovery and recomposition. All these ideas guide the program through materialist, environmentalist and feminist perspectives.
In addition to the exhibition program a study group around the book Ghosts of My Life by Mark Fisher runs through the entire year. The programme is structured throughout a series of sessions with different guests.
Become a paid subscriber to get full access to posts detailing my primary research, including visits to anarchist squat CSOA l’Horta, food recycling at MercaValencia, and pay-what-you-can restaurant La Mandragora.
'Hospitality' at Pols, Valencia 30.9—17.10
Curated by Paula Garcia Masedo, Nestor Garcia Diaz Carles Angel Sauri
Photos by David Zarzoso
About halfway through September, when I started planning for the show, I went through a period of projecting potential outcomes that weren’t directly related to my research and required time, money and tools that I didn’t have access to. Exasperated, I would run ideas past Carles and Néstor, who looked at each other in silence or, worse, grimaced and uttered “Hòstia”. It felt frustrating that due to lack of self-confidence, I was overthinking this great opportunity to show work in an interesting space and reverting to panicked guesswork that might make good photos but unfulfilling result.
Luckily for me, they encouraged and challenged me with good intentions, and asked whether I’d considered using my writing in the show. The daily journal I had been keeping during my project without any purpose other than to eventually publish on this blog suddenly seemed hugely significant in the materialisation of the presentation, conceptually linking key events to flows of resources and adjacent personal reactions. I had never before borrowed text for artistic purposes other than to turn letterforms into images, so extracting some half-baked writing from an archive was daunting. I knew that Jade Montserrat regularly extracts neat or powerful phrases from her sketchbooks or essays to translate into large paintings and was thinking about her when isolating particular words or sounds.
After selecting excerpts of a range of lengths and subject matters from the thirty-odd entries, Carles suggested he translate them all into Spanish and Valencian, to increase access for visitors and further integrate my project into the tapestry of Pols. Immediately after finishing it became clear to us that certain excerpts were more beautiful or well-constructed in different languages, so we varied them depending on their legibility and quality
My stream-of-consciousness diary generally houses writing with a mix of nervous pragmatism, detailed visual observation and emotional processing, striving for both sensory worldbuilding and critical processing. I wanted to use this text sincerely but unconventionally in the gallery context, while considering materials and techniques relevant to the wider research. Here’s an explainer from my instagram:
“I selected fragments of my daily journal and printed them on paper scavenged from wholesale market MercaValencia on a trip to collect surplus fruit and veg with @gramavlc, which is then sorted by volunteers at @csoa_lhorta and redistributed to families in Benimaclet. The sheets of paper —differently-sized, low-grade, recycled stock ubiquitous at daily markets but difficult to buy— are soiled with organic liquids, footprints, imprints and rips. I ironed and trimmed the paper into A4 width while Carles translated some into Spanish and Valencian, then @jaimesebas put them through his laserjet. The sheets are fixed to the gallery window and walls with plum & anise jam I made from surplus produce also collected at MercaValencia. The texts are a mixture of event reportage, food description and introspective analysis of my mental health, and photos are from my phone camera roll, annotated in biro.”
Exhibition text:
Mon 20 Sep
when working towards something I’m pretty sure I’m there already. allowing myself to project into the future is to reject the present moment as enough. never forgetting to breathe could be a regular moment of gratitude, the inhale for just now and the exhale to prepare the next. are we holding hands with the absolute of everything or watching a new ghost? a self-styled scavenger of small pieces of others (humans, plants, bacteria) to collage my own sense, i also collect time from the industrial clock, which stopped being a marker of labour when I took the batteries out and put them in my heart. the taste of forever is figs-and-honey-sweet.
fermenting is an act encompassing all time and thingness. the lifecycle of a plant subject is studied closely; an illustrated report on provenance, soil construction, hands touched and miles travelled brings it to us as a vivacious being bearing microbial metadata. fruit custodians and vegetable stewards, unite in potential effervescence.
fermenting is a shift of state, a dissolving of borders, a surrender of deep minerality. but fermenting is also the period of change, intrinsically tied to a beyond-human sundial. wild and domesticated yeasts fly around in search of food not meaning. fermenting biologically speaking is a form of digestion –it requires an initial energy outlay to break, dent or cling to a surface and expose the fuel then straddles the passive-active present. suspended in symbiosis between invisible lifeforces and blunt human tools of perception. the artist’s studio / kitchen /desk / inner monologue also is pulled in different directions by agents of this world and others. a place of bucolic transformation where the knot of process defies comfortable logic, where external influences can distract from (or destroy totally).
what is dust? why does it collect around the bottom of a chair and get stuck in a shard of afternoon light? who puts it there? who keeps it up in the air?
decommodification is the reincarnation of dead objects
TRADUCCIÓN ESPAÑOL by Carles Àngel Saurí
Lunes 20 de septiembre
cuando trabajo hacia algo estoy bastante seguro de que ya estoy allí. permitirme proyectar hacia el futuro es rechazar el momento presente como suficiente. no olvidarme nunca de respirar podría ser un momento regular de gratitud, la inhalación para el ahora y la exhalación para preparar el siguiente. ¿nos damos la mano con el absoluto de todo o observamos un nuevo fantasma? autodenominado carroñero de pequeños trozos de otros (humanos, plantas, bacterias) para hacer un collage de mi propio sentido, también colecciono el tiempo del reloj industrial, que dejó de ser un marcador del trabajo cuando le quité las pilas y las puse en mi corazón. el sabor de la eternidad es dulce como de higos y miel.
fermentar es un acto que abarca todo el tiempo y todas las cosas. el ciclo de vida de un sujeto vegetal se estudia con detenimiento; un informe ilustrado sobre la procedencia, la construcción del suelo, las manos tocadas y los kilómetros recorridos nos lo trae como un ser vivaz portador de metadatos microbianos. los custodios de la fruta y los administradores de la verdura, se unen en una efervescencia potencial.
la fermentación es un cambio de estado, una disolución de fronteras, una entrega de mineralidad profunda. pero la fermentación es también el período de cambio, intrínsecamente ligado a un reloj de sol más allá de lo humano. las levaduras silvestres y domesticadas vuelan en busca de alimento, no de significado. la fermentación, biológicamente hablando, es una forma de digestión -requiere un desembolso inicial de energía para romper, abollar o aferrarse a una superficie y exponer el combustible que luego está a caballo entre el presente pasivo y el activo. suspendido en simbiosis entre fuerzas vitales invisibles y herramientas humanas romas de percepción. el estudio/cocina/escritorio/monólogo interior del artista también es arrastrado en diferentes direcciones por agentes de este mundo y de otros. un lugar de transformación bucólica donde el nudo del proceso desafía la lógica cómoda, donde las influencias externas pueden distraer (o destruir totalmente).
¿qué es el polvo? ¿por qué se acumula alrededor de la parte inferior de una silla y se atasca en un trozo de luz de la tarde? ¿quién lo pone ahí? ¿quién lo mantiene en el aire?
la descomodificación es la reencarnación de los objetos muertos. el problema es la solución.
TRADUCCIÓ VALENCIÀ by Carles Àngel Saurí
Dilluns 20 de setembre
quan treballe cap a alguna cosa estic bastant segur que ja soc allí. permetre'm projectar cap al futur és rebutjar el moment present. no oblidar-me mai de respirar podria ser un moment quotidià de gratitud, la inhalació per a l'ara i l'exhalació per a preparar el següent. ens donem la mà amb l'absolut de tot o observem un nou fantasma? autodenominat carronyer de xicotets trossos d'uns altres (humans, plantes, bacteris) per a fer un collage del meu propi sentit, també col·leccione el temps del rellotge industrial, que va deixar de ser un marcador del treball quan li vaig llevar les piles i les vaig posar en el meu cor. el sabor de l'eternitat és dolça com de figues i mel.
fermentar és un acte que abasta tot el temps i totes les coses. el cicle de vida d'un subjecte vegetal s'estudia amb deteniment; un informe il·lustrat sobre la procedència, la construcció de la terra, les mans tocades i els quilòmetres recorreguts ens el porta com un ser vivaç portador de metadades microbianes. els custodis de la fruita i els administradors de la verdura, s'uneixen en una efervescència potencial.
la fermentació és un canvi d'estat, una dissolució de fronteres, un lliurament de mineralitat profunda. però la fermentació és també el període de canvi, intrínsecament lligat a un rellotge de sol més enllà de l'humà. els llevats silvestres i domesticats volen a la recerca d'aliment, no de significat. la fermentació, biològicament parlant, és una forma de digestió -requereix un desemborsament inicial d'energia per a trencar, abonyegar o aferrar-se a una superfície i exposar el combustible que després està a cavall entre el present passiu i l'actiu. suspés en simbiosi entre forces vitals invisibles i eines humanes de percepció. l'estudi/cuina/escriptori/monòleg interior de l'artista també és arrossegat en diferents direccions per agents d'aquest món i d'uns altres. un lloc de transformació bucòlica on el nus del procés desafia la lògica còmoda, on les influències externes poden distraure (o destruir).
què és la pols? per què s'acumula al voltant de la part inferior d'una cadira i s'atasca en un tros de llum de la vesprada? qui la posa ací? qui la manté en l'aire?
la decomodificació és la reencarnació dels objectes morts. el problema és la solució.