Take a walk in Trisha Baga’s jungle before meeting her at Art Basel Statements 2014

 

While waiting for the artist’s new 3D installation to be presented at Art Basel Statements we have visited Trisha Baga‘ show at Giò Marconi – the second artist’ solo in Milan after last year exhibition at Peephole. It is titled “Free internet”, and all of the pieces on view are “To be titled” yet. It follows that, in terms of captions, they are characterized just by materials and dimensions, and that is an important message.

 

In fact, the first thing we have perceived about the dreamlike atmosphere that embraces you once entered the ambients hosting the exhibition is that all the pieces are linked together as if they were a single big item. It’s more or less like walking in the jungle: you notice plants and birds and rocks and things – as an old hippie song says – but at the same time you also realize that it is a very homogenous and integrated natural system.

 

In this jungle of visual elements the 3D video projections are with no doubt the big plants, while the small ceramics are insects. Therefore the medium size objects – the beautiful irregular rug, the paintings, or the video game seats – could be the animals. The cold blu light of the projectors is the connective matter that keeps all these living creatures together.

 

Probably the artist is aware that being alone in the jungle might be scary, therefore she takes care of her viewer. The long looping 3D video in which she acts with big glasses and a long black beard would be hard to be appreciated without the comfortable swing and the chairs kindly provided by the artist. The same is to said for the other two videos describing a sexy night battle with pillows and the exploration of a cavern. In this case video game seats are available for the vision.

 

Therefore you need only to relax, cool down – outside the temperature was 35 degrees! – and take your time to fill your mind with all this juvenile lightness, made of a very well organized mess of information. Of course they come from a personal experience, but it’s very unlikely to grasp what is behind the surface. This is the underworld.

 

 

September 22, 2014