ANA DIAS BATISTA: CURVED MIRROR

ANA LUIZA DIAS BATISTA

ESPELHO CURVO (CURVED MIRROR)

March 21 - April 30, 2015

Galeria Marilia Razuk presents the exhibition Espelho Curvo (Curved Mirror) by Ana Luiza Dias Batista. The show brings together works in different media, with elements that refer to the universe of amusement parks and explore the scale and function of objects.

At the entrance the viewer is received by Bilheteiro (ticket agent) a black inflatable man-size doll, who forces the entrant to step over it to get inside the exhibition space. The work is repeated at the top of the stairs giving access to the administrative area of the Gallery.

All the walls of the exhibition space are covered by a single realistic painting of a curtain, also all black, a gigantic version of the curtain that would be at the entry of Eva (Eve), a sculpture that is the central work piece of this exhibition, and that was a major attraction at the sector "Public", during the last Art Basel Miami Beach. The sculpture, made in fiberglass, is on a human scale and is a miniature replica of the attraction found on amusement parks on the 1980s - a huge toy in the shape of a woman, inside which were reproductions of human organs with explanatory audio.

In another room the work Treino (Training) can be found, composed of three equestrian paintings placed in a "u" form. The paintings show exactly the same horse, in the same scenario, just changing the positions of the feet, suggesting a circular ride around the viewer. To its side, the work "seasick" consists of two cannons of lights dancing in sync, in slow and continuous movements, from left to right.

In the middle room Molde-Modelo (Mold-Model), a gigantic mold of shells is exhibited. "A double shell and a mold are made into hooves, hollow boxes with two halves, whose interior is smooth and the exterior rough. Mold and model match. Nothing distinguishes the mold of a shell from a represented shell," says the artist.

In the central room, where Eva (Eve) is located, there are also works  such as Gênio (Genius) a floating balloon in the shape of a brain and 3 meters in diameter, hanging over the room; Abismo (Abyss) a set of real shells, similar but of different sizes, fitted on one another; and Escalimetro (Scalimeter), a 5 centimeter miniature of the instrument used to measure distances at reduced scales.

Scale and function relations permeate throughout the exhibition, as well as the reference to amusement parks. "If several of the works in the exhibition refer to the universe of shows and amusement parks, this is less a theme than a system of exhibition and participation that these works internalize, exploit and subvert," says the artist. While it may be perceived as a large installation, Espelho Curvo (Curved Mirror) features independent works of art, whose reflections bounce off one another and mirror one another. However, as the title suggests, this mirror can be distorted. "In my work, even if the production is summarized and accurate, I do not trim all edges. The overall experience of the exhibition cannot be anticipated by the sum of the operations, "explains the artist.