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Francis Alӱs Sleepers II

Size
dimensione ambiente/dimensions variable
Description
The works of the Belgian artist Francis Alÿs often derive from his performance activities, mainly walks, that he takes in cities around the world, interpreting the anthropological and geopolitical contradictions of contemporary society. The apparently simple images created by Alÿs, whether the fruit of performance, video, photography, installation or painting, almost always conceal multiple symbolic and allegoric levels that reflect the artistic and literary tradition of Belgian Surrealism. "Sleepers II", the second of three similar versions realized between 1997 and 2003, consists of a projection of eighty slides in which the artist has photographed some men, often vagabonds and stray dogs, as they sleep on the streets in degraded urban areas. The images are projected just a few centimeters above the floor from the point of view of the camera, which was set at the same height as the sidewalk for all the shots. This makes it easier for viewers to identify with the subjects, suspended as they are between the lyrical and moving quality of the images and the sense of indignation for the implicit social emergency. The "Sleepers" series was conceived during the artist’s many walks on the streets of Mexico City, where he has been living and working since 1987.
On View
No
Bibliography
C. Lampert (ed.), Francis Alÿs, Il profeta e la mosca, Rome 2003. C. Medina, R. Ferguson, J. Fischer (eds.), Francis Alÿs, London 2007. Francis Alÿs, exhibition catalogue (Munich, Sammlung Goetz), Munich 2008. M. Godfrey, K. Biesenbach, K. Greenberg (eds.), Francis Alÿs. A Story of Deception, exhibition catalogue (London, Tate Modern), London 2010.
Photo Credits
no credit
Legal status
Purchased from Lisson Gallery, London
Classification
Installation
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