Shades of Absence

"Shades of Absence: Public Voids" underneath the Brooklyn Bridge
DUMBO Arts Festival, Brooklyn NY, 2011

 

"Shades of Absence: Outside Inside" underneath the Manhattan Bridge
DUMBO Arts Festival, Brooklyn NY, 2011

 

 

"Shades of Absence: Public Voids" in Piazza San Marco
Venice Biennial 2011 AR Intervention

 

"Shades of Absence: Outside Inside"
in front of the Central Pavilion, Venice Biennial Giardini
Venice Biennial 2011 AR Intervention

 

"Shades of Absence: Schlingensief Gilded" in the German Pavilion, Venice Giardini
winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best National Pavilion
Venice Biennial 2011 AR Intervention

"Shades of Absence" is a work in progress to explore ways to collect and disseminate information on censored and persecuted artists worldwide. The artworks are placed via GPS coordinates in various locations around the world. Viewable in the displays of smartphones, touching the images gives you a link to a page with cases of censorship.

As of now there are three artworks in the series:

• “Shades of Absence: Outside Inside"
  This work addresses censored artists who, whether considered art world insiders or outsiders, have faced threats of violence or arrest.
  
  
• “Shades of Absence:Public Voids"
  This work addresses artists whose works in public spaces have been censored.
  
  
• “Shades of Absence: Schlingensief Gilded”
  A memorial to Christoph Schlingensief, designed specially for the Venice Biennial 2011 German Pavilion, winner of the Golden Lion for best national pavilion.

"Shades of Absence" has been shown at the following venues:

• Venice Biennial 2011 AR Intervention
  During the Venice Biennial 2011, in an uninvited augmented reality intervention, I placed "Outside Inside" in the Giardini main concourse (near the Belgium Pavilion), "Schlingensief Gilded" in the German National Pavilion, and "Public Voids" in the middle of Piazza San Marco. To view: you must be in one of these locations, and go on a smartphone (android or iPhone4) to: manifestar.info/vb11, then launch "Shades of Absence".
  
  
• "Not Here," Samek Art Gallery, Bucknell University, Pennsylvania USA
  In conjunction with the Manifest.AR guerrilla intervention at the 54th Venice Biennial, the Samek Art Gallery is NOT showing our works. The works however are piled up in front of the gallery door.
  
  
• ISEA2011 UNCONTAINABLE / official parallel program to the 2011 Istanbul Biennial
  
  "Not There," Kasa Gallery, Sabanci University, Istanbul
  A copy of "Outside Inside" is in the Manifest.AR group show "Not There" in the Kasa Gallery, Sabanci University. To view: go to the Kasa Gallery, and on a smartphone (android or iPhone4) go to: manifestar.info/vb11, then launch "Shades of Absence"
  
  
• DUMBO Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY, 2011
  In Brooklyn there is a copy of "Outside Inside" underneath the Manhattan Bridge and a copy of "Public Voids" underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. To view: go to one of these locations, and in a browser on a smartphone (android or iPhone4) go to: manifestar.info/vb11, then launch "Shades of Absence"
  

There are various shades of absence for censored works, with some artworks and artists becoming even more prominent due to censorship, and others – the vast majority – disappearing without a trace. At a time when well-known artworks are being destroyed and famous artists arrested, we need to be aware that most artists who are censored do not enjoy world-wide visibility and support.

One database exists already, although the bulk of cases it documents are from the 1990s:

• The File Room was a project by Antoni Muntadas begun in 1990. The technology was updated only until roughly 1994- the first beginnings of web technology - and the search facilities are limited, but there are a large number of cases in its database. There is no funding for continued technical development, but visitors can add to the existing database through a web interface.