Three quick questions to gallery CODE ROOD from Arnhem, Netherlands
CODE ROOD from Arnhem, Netherlands is an artists’ initiative situated in a former military base in the forests north of Arnhem – now turned into a lively artists’ community. We asked them three questions about their upcoming exhibition at Supermarket.
During SUPERMARKET 2017 artist duo Frank & Michiel will present their
project THE CAMEO SERIES, tell us more about that project!
THE CAMEO SERIES is an ongoing project that consists of studio sets in which Frank & Michiel re-enact stereotypical commercial images. During one month artist-in-residence program in 2015 they made new works which are the fundaments of THE CAMEO SERIES. The inspiration for this project comes from television commercials and social media.
In contemporary society we are constantly confronted by media with a reality that exceeds the ‘real’ reality. It doesn’t seem important anymore to distinguish reality from non-reality. Sometimes the virtual experience is more real than the reality itself. This also applies to the way in which people are presented in the media. How they come across is almost as important as the talent and the knowledge they possess. With THE CAMEO SERIES the artists try to deconstruct this ‘commercial image’ by inviting the visitors into an alternate reality that makes people part of a commercial image.
The visitors are welcome to participate in the project ‒ is this an
important part? And how will this work in practice during the art fair?
Frank & Michiel believe that everybody wonders how it is to be a successful model, singer or actor. Or at least they wonder. People use modern media to project a reality that exceeds the “real” reality; everybody shows their best moments on social media and even the news give a certain perspective on reality. Being aware of this system and its pros and cons comes in handy in daily life. That’s why Frank & Michiel decided to reenact successful commercial images; so that we could understand the complexity of the successful images that a company like Gucci creates, and the effects that these images have on daily life. Like, for example, the effect that a lot of people strive towards ‒ being just as famous as Kim Kardashian.
The artists feel that it is important to talk about this subject and therefore think that participation of the visitors is important. During the art fair the visitors are invited on to the set where they can play their role as a Gucci model, take selfies, and create a reality that will maybe exceed the ‘real’ reality. They are welcome to participate, but it is not necessary for them in order to enjoy the work. What the artists hope to accomplish is a bit of fun, a nice new profile picture for social media and a bit of awareness on how things work.
What are your hopes and expectations for attending SUPERMARKET?
We are really excited by the prospect of sharing THE CAMEO SERIES with a bigger international public and we hope Frank & Michiel can complement the series with a lot of new performances from the SUPERMARKET art fair visitors. When organising our events CODE ROOD acts in a hospitable way, that means cooperations with other initiatives are an important part of our practice. At Supermarket we are looking forward to meet other initiatives and through the presentation of Frank & Michiel get in touch with many visitors.
