ARTIST STATEMENT
Antonio Cortez & Rosa María Alfaro, But I Still Haven’t Found What I Am Looking For, 2011,
Two channel video on two 8” screens mounted on trash cans; coffee table and household trash;
6:00 min., 42” H x 46 1/2” L x 23 1/4” W
BUT I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR
KEEPING AN EYE ON SURVEILLANCE | PAI
SAN FRANCISCO, CA | SEP. 10 - OCT. 22, 2011
THE CONCEPT
The piece juxtaposes Ms. Alfaro’s images from her series Urban Trash with excerpts from the opinion pages of The New York Times about new powers of surveillance for the F.B.I and online comments from NYT readers. The silhouette of the trash cans resembles that of the Twin Towers on Manhattan’s skyline. But I Still Haven’t Found What I Am Looking For is about our search for meaning in the decade after 9/11 attacks.
Rosa María Alfaro, from The Urban Trash Series
TWO CHANEL VIDEO ON TWO TRASH CANS
ROSA MARIA ALFARO
URBAN TRASH
My photographic work takes me through different neighborhoods of SanFrancisco, each with their own distinctive character, documenting the refuse of society.
By photographing the contents of public and private bins and scattered litter throughout the city, I reveal an intimate insight into the everyday lives of urban residents. The quantity they discard, the day of the week, products or packaging all afford the viewer to understand the values of a wide variety of modern urban residents.
The trash left behind exposes how culture and socio-economic status affect what is or is not important in people’s lives; we see their care or indifference to their environment. This ongoing project offers viewers a chance to understand humanity in their urban setting and the incidental beauty we create.
THE INSTALLATION
KEEPING AN EYE ON SURVEILLANCE @ PAI
But I Still Haven’t Found What I Am Looking For @ Keeping An Eye On Surveillance,
September 10 - October 22, 2011 @ PAI, San Francisco, CA
Keeping an Eye on Surveillance, takes a comprehensive look at societal surveillance in the "post-9-11" world. Over twenty artists, working in media ranging from painting and photography to new media, explore the ever-growing encroachment of surveillance enabled by technological advances such as Google Earth, Facebook, wire-tapping, and airport security technologies. "Big Brother" is now a virtual and real phenomenon.
As a concerned observer of the evolving landscape, curator Hanna Regev believes that an exhibition on surveillance is a fitting vehicle for probing serious questions about the proliferation of the many surveillance systems in use. The artists exhibiting in "Keeping an Eye on Surveillance" explore the blurring boundaries between public space and private life, the visible and invisible, and the observer and observed. The works probe concerns regarding community and individual safety and the problems surrounding public spaces that involve watching and being watched. The exhibition seeks to underscore the need to balance our longing for security with our dedication to a free and open society.
Curated by Hanna Regev
INSTALLATION ART
© all rights reserved | 2011
SELECTED CONCEPTS
...WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR
SELECTED CONCEPTS
...WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR
SELECTED CONCEPTS
...WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR
SELECTED CONCEPTS
...WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR