Alvaro Barrington: Air de repos (Breathwork) Group Exhibition at Capc Musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux

Works by Alvaro Barrington are on view in the group exhibition Air de repos (Breathwork), which aims to generate a renewed awareness of what it means to breathe, not only on an individual level but also on a collective one. At a time when the world is living in a climate of widespread asphyxia, Breathwork aims to transform the museum into a temporary breathing machine.

In recent years, the convergence of political, ecological and public health phenomena has led to the simple act of breathing being seen as a privilege. In particular, we have been able to observe and analyse the differentiated impact of air pollution according to its social origins, the ease with which the airways of certain populations can be blocked under the pretext of maintaining order (‘I Can't Breathe’), and the potential for air to become a threat due to the viruses and other harmful agents it may contain.

 In a museum, air is a subject in its own right. Displaying and conserving works of art requires special control and management, because art needs stable, neutral air if it is to survive. This implies that the museum contains its own air, different from that of the outside world. Air de repos (Breathwork) asks whether it might be possible to breathe differently in the museum.

 In order to imagine the Capc as a rest area, the exhibition was built around the idea of a ‘museum without images’. The aim is to combat retinal fatigue and the centrality of the eye in museums, and to give images a rest. Comprising mainly installations, ready-mades and sound works, the guest artists share the idea that sculpture breathes.

The exhibition Air de repos (Breathwork) is supported by the Valorem Group, the Danish Art Foundation and Fluxus Art Projects.'