Francis Alÿs at the UMMA
Francis Alÿs is a Belgian born artist who lives and works in Mexico City. WIth a background in architecture and engineering, his transition to visual art is surprising. Never the less, he has become well versed in video, photography, performance art, writing, painting and animation. His work generally carries strong social-political undertones, particularly with regards to activity in Latin American countries. His work is a sort of recorded moving meditation, a stroll through an urban landscape, paying particular attention to rhythm, geometric, or repetitive patterns. He “examines the tension between politics and poetics.”
Alÿs’ 2005 video installation, “Guards,” is currently on display at the UMMA. The exhibit opened on December 15th and will run through March 31st. The signature of the British guards is as a very emotionally sparse, collective, non-individualistic, rule abiding group. They never for a second break character as they pound through the streets like the beat of a drum. Against the mute background of London’s city-scape, the guards leap out like bright berries, though somehow seem less inviting than a piece of wild fruit. The symbol of a guard is very metaphoric for so many aspects of the human condition: protection, defensiveness, indifference, importance, worth, value, unity, patriotism, or even violence. These abstract theories blossom as the guards move repetitively through the bare London streets in the moving pictures. It’s very interesting to see, I recommend taking a holiday outing to the UMMA!
For more on Francis Alÿs, check out his page of the UMMA’s website and watch other videos of his on his website.
