Rosa Barba: ‘Enigmatic Whisper’ – Screening and Talk

  • Fri 8 June 2018
  • 6.30 pm

Join us for a screening of the work ‘Enigmatic Whisper’ (2017) by Rosa Barba, one of four artists commissioned by the Calder Foundation, in collaboration with curator Victoria Brooks, to produce a film or video in response to an artwork by Alexander Calder. The film is 8 minutes long and will be followed by a talk from the artist about her practice and the making of the film. Shot in 16mm inside the studio of artist Alexander Calder (1898–1976) in Roxbury, Connecticut, ‘Enigmatic Whisper’ draws a filmic portrait of one of the protagonists of twentieth-century art: through images of tools and work materials, still conserved as Calder left them, as well as the natural external context. The film focuses on one of Calder’s mobiles—kinetic sculptures that are among his most iconic works—still hanging from the ceiling of the studio. The rhythm of the film, with often sudden changes of scene, is enunciated by drum and trumpet sounds, as well as by those emitted by the kinetic sculpture in movement. Rosa Barba (b. 1972, Sicily, Italy) lives and works in Berlin. Her works encompass sculptures, installations, text pieces, and publications grounded in the material qualities of cinema. Her film sculptures examine the physical properties of the projector, celluloid, and projected light. Barba studied at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne and the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. Solo exhibitions include Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland; Bergen Kunsthall, Norway; Jeu de Paume, Paris; and Kunstverein Braunschweig, Germany among others. She was a resident artist at Artpace, San Antonio in 2014 and at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa in 2013. This is a free, event but must be booked in advance   Header image: Rosa Barba, Enigmatic Whisper, 2017, 16mm film, color, optical sound, 8 min. Film still © Rosa Barba Film commissioned and produced by Calder Foundation, New York, in collaboration with Victoria Brooks

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