Intermission (Halloween Iraq IV)
2010
Hand made print from wood template (ink on muslin)
304.8 x 426.7 cm (120 x 168 in.)
Three American marines wearing grotesque masks and riding donkeys emerge from this large engraving on canvas, which appears to represent a polo match. The title gives more context to the scene, which is only partially shown in the truncated frame, the image a fuzzy black and white. It is actually a Halloween celebration in Iraq, a moment of leisure for the American troops deployed there.
As is often the case in the artist duo Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla's work, the humor belies a more critical reality in a situation that was inspired by the news. The distance the artists usually put between themselves and their subject matter, whether or not controversial, can be observed here including in the choice of technique, i.e. an engraving, in other words an image reproduction, which creates even more distance between the factual event and its representation.
Held by the Pinault Collection, Intermission (Halloween Iraq IV) was presented in the group show À Triple tour (“triple locked”) at the Paris Conciergerie, in 2013.
As is often the case in the artist duo Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla's work, the humor belies a more critical reality in a situation that was inspired by the news. The distance the artists usually put between themselves and their subject matter, whether or not controversial, can be observed here including in the choice of technique, i.e. an engraving, in other words an image reproduction, which creates even more distance between the factual event and its representation.
Held by the Pinault Collection, Intermission (Halloween Iraq IV) was presented in the group show À Triple tour (“triple locked”) at the Paris Conciergerie, in 2013.
Exhibitions
© ALLORA Jennifer & CALZADILLA Guillermo
Courtesy Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla et Kurimanzutto, Mexico City.
Photo : Studio Michel Zabé
