HomePart 23 of Joy and Tranquillity digital guide

Amalia Pica describes her installation

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Leaning against the wall there is a line of 15 placards that snake around the corner. Each placard is a little bit different from the others; they’re made from material ranging from wood plastic cardboard and fabric. On the placards there are brightly coloured triangles that, when placed together in a line, simulate a string of paper bunting. These are flags that are usually used for street parties or celebrations.

Facing the placards is a TV screen showing documentation of a performance that we did with 18 participants. They carried the placards to the university campus located behind the Wellcome Collection. In the video you can see the participants holding up the placards in different formations, such as lines and circles, so that the bunting can form a pattern. Throughout the exhibition one person will periodically pick up one of the placards and parade around the building unannounced.

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About the speaker

Black and white, head and shoulder photograph of a young woman. She has her hair tied back and is wearing glasses. She is standing in front of a blurred background with black lines.

Amalia Pica

Amalia Pica is a London-based Argentinian artist. She explores metaphor, communication and civic participation through sculptures, installations, photographs, projections, live performances and drawings. Her exhibitions, commissions and residencies include Fondazione Memmo, Venice Biennale (Italy), Museum Haus Konstruktiv (Switzerland), Tate Modern and Herald St (UK), Proyectos Ultravioleta (Guatemala), Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (Australia), Yorkshire Sculpture Park (UK) and Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, (USA). Her works are in public collections in several institutions, including Tate (UK), Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim (New York, USA), Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Neuquén, (Argentina) and Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (USA).