exhibition

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Le mien, le tien, le sien (2019)

Ria Pacquée

Ria Pacquée made her breakthrough in the eighties with performances (and photos) starring herself as a fictional character (‘Madame’ or the ‘It-figure’) out in public. Examples include: Madame Visiting the Zoo (1988), Madame at a Carnival in Cologne (1989), Madame Visiting the Open Air Museum Bokrijk (1989) and Madame Visiting the National Garden Festival Hoping to See the Princess (1990). Indeed, the public domain is Ria Pacquée’s favourite workplace. Not only is this the setting for her performances, it is also the main inspiration behind new creations. The artist views the street as a living decor in which she discretely wanders (‘street rambling’), taking in her surroundings. Such city rambles, collection of images and noises, and transformation of reality by extracting details from their usual context, are Pacquée’s most important artistic tools. The artist repeatedly manages to infiltrate and participate in real-life situations whilst also maintaining the distance required to effectively view things from an external perspective.

The work developed by Ria Pacquée for Alias, Le mien, le tien, le sien (2019) features metal rings fixed to a blind wall. To these she has attached objects of little value, in fact, rather everyday objects like a bucket, ladder or waste bin. Being so familiar, these objects are almost unnoticed by residents, yet a common cause of minor disputes in the neighbourhood or indeed a reflection of the creativity of daily activities. Pacquée’s objects reveal a community’s many facets: ranging from the wealth and poverty on the streets, the pride and the vanity, to the desolate and narrow minded acidification.

Credits: Le mien, le tien, le sien (2019). Courtesy Ria Pacquée. Co-produced by Netwerk Aalst.

28.09.2019-01.12.2019

Artists