Oblio

Edited by Elisa Rusca

Texts by Prof. Dr. Jean-François Démonet, Rebecca Howard, Charlotte Lalou Rousseau, Craig Schüftan, Vincent Surmont

Artwork byAnne Duk Hee Jordan, Jacob Kirkegaard, Luke Munn, Virginie Rebetez and Sam Smith

Design: FUK Graphic Design Studio

152 pages, 32 full colour pages

12,5 cm x 19,5 cm

ISBN: 978-3-943196-33-7

This is a book that acts as an extension of the exhibition Oblivion and whose subjects are memory and fading memories. Oblivion was conceived as a group show of five international contemporary artists who explore these concepts in diverse media.

Working as both an archive and as a record for the artists and their works, it is also a melting pot and indeed a starting point to explore the mental and philosophical speculations of these subjects. Not to be defined so much as a “catalogue” per se, it is rather part of the Oblivion project and can be enjoyed as an independent element at the same time. The title, Oblìo, comes from the Italian translation of the English project's title.

Alongside a full colour carnet of the artworks and presentations of the artists, curator Elisa Rusca invited other contributors to write about their notions of oblivion. The five essays and two interviews compiled in the book each take on a unique way of looking at fading away in our contemporary society. Professor and neurologist Jean-Fraçois Démonet explains the physical and chemical process that happens in the brain when we forget; textual artist Rebecca Howard contributes with a written performance on memory; history of art student Charlotte “Lalou” Rousseauexplores lyrically the construction of fake memories; writer and radio producer Craig Schüftan takes us on a trip into the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll and the notion of fading away; while art historian Vincent Surmont wrote a text about collective memories, private recollections and the myth of a perfect memory. Net artist Olia Lialina was interviewed by Rusca about her practice and the search for immortality through the World Wide Web. Further to this professor, chemist and director of CSGI (Centre for Colloid and Surface Science) in Florence Piero Baglioni answered questions relating to restoration and his work with nanotechnologies.

From science to poetry, from sociology to the Internet, Oblio wishes to expand the analysis and discussion of the many aspects related to fading memory and contemporary art.

Exhibition: Zweigstelle Berlin, Lehrterstr. 37, Berlin. May 9 -24