Description
Heat.
The driving force and the tool to manifest the work is heat. A process that conceals an act of violence and aggression. Morphing into different realities and always keeping the inner emotional body as subject. New readings and surrenders. Cohabitating
Ay Maricon! Does not intend to be a representation of Dr Melissa Churchill’s paper, but an emotional response to it from someone that has lived with the HiV virus for more than half of his life. During our conversation we discussed the stigma that has been associated to being HIV positive, the fear of the ‘awakening’ of the virus, and a sense of surrender and acceptance of that reality.
We shared some graphs and I was interested in the choice of colour used by the scientific collective to illustrate health and illness. White denoting inflammation and reds and pinks – warm colours, infection. Heat. Friction. Blues and greens, cool colours, tend to represent harmony, and health.
My father was a Doctor, he specialised in early laparoscopic diagnosis. I used to be mesmerised as a kid looking at his extended collection of slides. Cavernous red landscapes of the internal body. Endless shades of red and yellowing fat matter under the light of the tube. Those impressions have stayed with me, and it’s only now that I tap into them to convey the representation of body, trauma and to give permission to myself to embrace my own queerness as empowerment.
Surrendering but never defeated.
Bio
AUSTRALIA
Sculpture/film
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia , in 1963.
Dani Marti creates dynamic woven constructions, sculptural installations and video documentary that bring together conceptualism, formal minimalism and the Baroque sensuality of materials. His works are driven by both the symbolism and abstract patterns of everyday industrial materials, juxtaposing theoretical concerns and articulating the private and social perceptions that surround the body. Marti surrenders to the materials in a process that is both tender and arduous, allowing patterns to emerge and evolve.
Since 1998, Marti has held over 40 solo exhibitions and has been extensively exhibited nationally and internationally, including in Singapore, Chile, Spain and across Australia.
Exhibitions include Obey! curated by Paco Barragan, Centro Cultural Matucana 100, Chile; Immerse, Sandneskulturhus, Sandnes, Norway; La Vida es Esto, Domus Atrium, Salamanca; Dark Heart, the Adelaide Biennial, ECONOMY, CCA Glasgow; Videonale-14, Kunstmuseum Bonn; Let the Healing Begin, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane; Cinema X: I like to Watch, Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, and major solo shows TOUCH: The portraiture of Dani Marti at Newcastle Regional Art Gallery and BLACK SUN at Fremantle Arts Centre for Perth International Art Festival.
