projekt-heterologia

Aimee Weber (triptych)
Eva and Franco Mattes aka 0100101110101101.ORG
Digital prints on canvas
36 x 48 inches each
2006
Courtesy Postmasters Gallery

February 17 – March 17, 2007
Postmasters Gallery, New York
Opening reception: Saturday February 17, 6-8 p-m

Postmasters Gallery is pleased to present “13 Most Beautiful Avatars,” a portrait series from Second Life by EVA and FRANCO MATTES aka 0100101110101101.ORG, for their second solo show at the gallery.

The Matteses have been living in the virtual world, Second Life, for over a year, exploring its terrain and interacting with its peculiar inhabitants. The result of their “video-game flanerie” is a series of portraits, entitled “13 Most Beautiful Avatars.” Not unlike Warhol’s entourage of stars, captured in the “13 Most Beautiful Boys” and “13 Most Beautiful Women” portrait series, the Matteses’ “13 Most Beautiful Avatars” captures the most visually dynamic and celebrated “stars” of Second Life.

The portraits reflect Second Life aesthetics, featuring the bright colors, “artificial” light, broad flat areas, 3D shapes, and surreal perspectives that are typical of this virtual world. Overall, the series draws on the technological developments which allow the creation of alternate identities within simulated worlds. Despite the relative newness of using video game-derived source materials, the avatars’ icons recall questions common to earlier eras of portraiture, including the cultural and psychological context of the images, and the relationships between high art and subculture, between contemporary art and “traditional” art forms, and between art and life itself.

The project was created during the artists’ stay at The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University. The Matteses are the recipients of 2006 New York Prize for most promising young Italian Artists.

More information please visit this link.

In 2007 I’mPULSE, ASEF’s music programme, will focus on dub music. In partnership with Clandestino Festival, I’mPULSE Clandestino will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden in June 2007, and is calling for participants until the 20th February 2007. The 4th edition of the ASEF flagship music program I’mPULSE, it will bring together up to 20 young artists from Asia and Europe to take part in workshops and seminars on dub music.

I’mPULSE 2007 will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 2-10 June and will have two phases. In the first phase (due to start in May 2007) participants will be getting to know each others productions and skills through a virtual communication platform made up for the program where they will be able to share audio files and documents. During the second phase, the participants will come together for a series of workshops, rehearsals and finally be given opportunities to perform at the 5th Clandestino Festival 7-10 June.

Participants in the I’mPulse 2007 can be either:

- Young composers/producers of dub music in some of its forms,
- Young vocalists including classical singers, poets, MCs and toaster
- Young musicians playing percussion, drums, horns, bass, instruments that are not traditionally used in the genre, etc.

The participants must have professional experience of music production within the dub scene in a broad sense, covering everything from traditional forms of dub to contemporary interpretations such as dub step, experimental and progressive dub.

Deadline for applications: 20 February 2007.

Find description on I’mPULSE Clandestino, criteria of selection and aplication form in this link.

For more information, please contact Mr David Ocon at david.ocon@asef.org