Art • "Attacking the space"

Yesterday I attended a talk between visual and performance artist Samuel Hasler and Bristol-based writer David Trigg, which discussed several interesting factors regarding the artists' latest exhibition; Block.


The exhibition is heavily inspired by 2007 Turner Prize Winner Mark Wallinger and his work Via Dolorosa, which effectively projects excerpts of the film Jesus of Nazareth with a main central 'block' of the screen being blacked out completely.

Hasler, being extremely passionate about this piece, then went on to do a 48-hour project at the G39 gallery in the heart of his hometown Cardiff, creating a number of pieces with each in reflection to an issue he finds of personal worry. The catch however was that, in the style of Wallinger, he placed a black board on the window to take up most of it's proportion so nobody apart from the artist was truly aware about what was going on. Passers by were sure enough to raise an eyebrow or two.

As Hasler alarmingly describes as "attacking the space", the result is definitely striking; something that Hasler definitely wants to throw out into the air...
A tape, repeating the phrase "Visit Wales", is spread across the room (in a room in the city of Wales, might I add) and raises the point about the density of the Welsh-culture in the City of Cardiff. With visiting the hottest tourist spot in Wales, are we truly visiting Wales and experiencing the elements that really make it Wales?
The other work, a 'heap' of wood labeled with the offensive-to-some and overly-ambiguous expression "Oh My God", is another issue he wants to raise and get people to think about. Is the common-use of this term ruining religion and it's true meaning?

If we are to attack the space - i.e. form a flat commercialized city in the midst of hills, or express ourselves by using blasphemous phrases - should we 'block' a line of sight so we have to take a look around, or censor and hide the truth?


Even though the creation of this was derived within 48 hours, the exhibition is still open to the public until 22nd May 2010 at G39 in Cardiff.

More details can be found on the G39 Website.