- Dates
- —
- Curated by
- Vicenç Altaió i Glòria Picazo
Press Release
Silvie and Chérif Defraoui
Espai 10 at the Fundació Joan Miró, series El gust i les diferències (Taste and Differences)
Dates: 4 June–6 July 1986
Opening: Wednesday, 4 June at 7.30 p.m.
The installation by Swiss artists Silvie Defraoui (Sankt Gallen, 1935) and Chérif Defraoui (Geneva, 1932) marks the conclusion of the El gust i les diferències series, organised in collaboration with art critic Glòria Picazo and writer Vicenç Altaió in Espai 10 at the Fundació Joan Miró.
For over a decade, the Defraouis have maintained a close connection with Catalonia, having spent extended periods living there. This relationship led to their presentation at the G Gallery in Barcelona in 1976, one of the most influential galleries of the time, supporting avant-garde artistic trends. They subsequently participated in several group exhibitions, returning to Barcelona in 1983 with the installation Conversa dalt d’un rai (Conversation on a Raft) at Metrònom.
The Defraouis’ work is characterised by a strong conceptual dimension, incorporating a wide range of historical, sociological and other types of information, expressed through diverse artistic media – including sculpture, installation, painting and video.
For this exhibition, Silvie and Chérif Defraoui present an installation entitled I si la terra perdés el seu poder d’atracció (And if the Earth Lost its Power of Attraction). The piece employs everyday objects, text and deliberately banal wall paintings.
The installation is structured around fundamental contrasts: geometry versus figure, balance versus imbalance, memory versus forgetting. Its framework serves as an archetype of catastrophe in the topological sense of the term.
But beneath the specific oppositions in each piece lies a broader attitude shared by many contemporary artists: they reimagine an alternative history of art and create what might be termed an ecology of perception through the diverse media they employ.
Currently, the artists are participating in the exhibition Le Gorille Blanc. Voyages à Barcelone (The White Gorilla. Travels to Barcelona), dedicated to Barcelona by the contemporary art centre in Toulouse.
Barcelona, 28 May 1986
