By Proxy

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA.

23-08-2018

Curated BY Essma Imady

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Who can art speak for? To investigate the question of representation, artists in Minnesota are connecting with artists in countries that cannot receive visas under the current administration. They have been asked to create a piece based on their conversation and interaction with the artist, an art piece created “by proxy”. Can the work by the local artist speak for the artist abroad? Will it only speak for the artist who initiated the piece? Or will the meaning of the work be determined by the audience, thus making the audience the final artist by proxy?  

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John C.S. Keston and Khaled Alwarea collaborated on a work that speaks to trauma and PTSD. Their piece starts with a film created by Khaled that touches on his own experiences. John acts as a non-neutral transmitter of the film, using his own mechanical programs and filters to change and distort its content. The final hybrid transmits sounds and images that hold traces from both artists.  

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