THE FAIRYTALE RECORDINGS BY SAÂDANE AFIF WITH NYMPHENBURG PORCELAIN, ZURICH

On the occasion of Art Basel 2011, the RaebervonStenglin Gallery in Zurich opened a contemporary performance of artist Saâdane Afif entitled “The Fairytale Recordings” featuring Nymphenburg porcelain objects.

Munich-based porcelain manufacturer Nymphenburg is renowned for producing handmade porcelain art, collaborating with a wide range of contemporary designers and artists to do so. This is the first time Saâdane Afif – winner of the Prix Marcel Duchamp (2009)- has worked with Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg and his first ever work with porcelain.

Afif prides himself on combining fine arts with text, motion and music and this exhibition shows no end to this creative thinking. The exhibition is based upon a set of lyrics which emerged as answers to his earlier works and are transformed, through both performance and pieces of online casino Nymphenburg porcelain, into existing sculptures. Afif worked with opera singer Katharina Schrade to create the performance piece in which each part of text is spoken or acted out. The words are carefully spoken into each specially made porcelain vase which is then sealed, as if being recorded, so that the verse can be contained within for eternity.

Each of the eight vases has a different feminine figurine gracing its lid representing the postures and movements made by Schrade at the beginning of her performace. There is also printed on each lid the reference number, song title and date according to which performance or “recording” it was involved in.

The exhibition will run until 20^th July 2011 at RaebervonStenglin:

By Lucy Mclean