Emilio Bianchic, ZZz, 2018. Digital C-print, 20 x 16 inches. Edition 5 + 2 AP.
EMILIO BIANCHIC
ooh la la
April 7 – May 12, 2018
Uruguayan artist Emilio Bianchic returns to Postmasters for his solo exhibition ooh la la. Working with artificial nails, video,
and performance, Bianchic unpacks the manufacturing of identity in domestic, intimate, and corporeal spaces. In the summer
of 2015, Bianchics exhibition of video art at Postmasters was lauded as one of the most memorable exhibitions of the year,
and he recently debuted a series of videos with his collective Básica TV at NADA New York.
Una fiesta del error, which literally translates to "a party of error," is the artist's phrase to describe the absurdist, whimsical
humor found in the videos, photographs, and installations comprising the exhibition. There are no mistakes, though, even if
Bianchic is obsessed with doing things the "wrong" way — or, at least not how one would expect them to be done. It's how
he arrived at performing with his feet. Since we do everything with our hands, why not flip the expected on its head, literally,
and try everything with our feet instead?
Fashion Number One Rule Number Rule Number One (or FNORNRNO for short!), the centerpiece of the exhibition, follows
the life of a fashionite and singer, played by none other than Bianchic's feet, wearing fabulously long nails. Cropped so that
we only see from the knees down, all of human gesture is distilled into these extremities: After sex, two sets of feet lay in bed
together, passing a cigarette between their toes; during the performer's court ruling for copyright infringement, various sets
of slack wearing legs tap their feet assertively while presenting evidence, and the judge wears black high heels with a gavel
tied to their foot. The narrative of copyright infringement is yet another impediment, like performing tasks with one's feet — a
limitation of possibility governed by arbitrary rules. Only by finding alternatives within these systems do we arrive at
imaginative solutions: The singer becomes a DJ, finding a loophole in the jurisdiction.
Impráctica, displayed on a sculpturally augmented screen, is similarly about being limited. We see the artist's hand,
wearing hyperbolically long nails, laboriously, yet elegantly, attempting to screw in a light bulb in a variety of fixtures. This
impractical and ineffective act is a queering of productive labor, working in opposition to the always on, always producing
mentality of masculinist neoliberal ideology, which is essentially a market-driven version of "survival of the fittest."
Dollar store hauls adorn the monitors that play a number of Bianchic's expertly shot videos, leveling out distinctions
between high and low culture — a question of who decides what is tasteful or not. Pop and dance songs are the soundtrack
of his life and work. Mistranslations of their lyrics, and other phrases throughout the exhibition, reinforce the notion that
imperfection is an asset rather than a flaw. The show's title is one such example: "ooh la la" is a phrase we might
stereotypically associate with Parisian culture. Currently based in Argentina, Bianchic is used to people confusing South
American cultures, so he does the same by confusing his visit to New York with another Western metropolis. His videos
and performances reference the culture of fashion, but not in a way that is characteristically sexy, adding another layer of
absurdity to the joke.
Since 2013, Bianchic has been painting his and his friends nails, creating nail art tutorials as video art, and participating in
online subcultures specific to nail care and art. His work was included in 89plus in 2013, and has since been exhibited
extensively in South America and abroad. He is the recipient of the Young Video Artist award from LOOP Barcelona, and his
work has been featured in artnet, ARTnews, Das Magazin, DIS, and Rhizome. In 2015, Bianchic became a member of UV
Estudios, an artist run galley in Buenos Aires.
Emilio Bianchic
ohh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
ohh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
Impractica II
2016
digital video (2 min 24 sec)
dimensions variable
edition of 3 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
Nailture #6
2016
mixed materials
14 x 9 x 5 inches
Emilio Bianchic
Paris Milano Butterfly
2018
digital video (2 min 49 sec), screen, fan, mixed materials
63 x 60 x 18 inches
unique video installation / edition of 3 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
Paris Milano Butterfly
2018
digital video (2 min 49 sec), screen, fan, mixed materials
63 x 60 x 18 inches
unique video installation / edition of 3 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
ooh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
Winner Chicken Dinner
2018
digital C-print
20 x 16 inches
edition of 5 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
Feets
2018
digital C-print
24 x 36 inches
edition of 5 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
ooh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
Shh
2018
digital video (1 min 33 sec)
dimensions variable
edition of 3 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
ooh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
ZZz
2018
digital C-print
20 x 16 inches
edition of 5 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
ooh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
Foot #1
2018
mixed materials
8 x 5 x 13 inches
Emilio Bianchic
Foot #1
2018
mixed materials
8 x 5 x 13 inches
Emilio Bianchic
Rollercoaster
2018
installation view
digital video (1 min 45 sec), screen, mixed materials
80 x 146 x 3.5 inches
unique video installation / edition of 3 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
Rollercoaster
2018
digital video (1 min 45 sec), screen, mixed materials
80 x 146 x 3.5 inches
unique video installation / edition of 3 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
ooh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
ooh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
ooh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
Socks
2018
digital C-print
27.5 x 20 inches
edition of 5 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
Fashion Number One Rule Number Rule Number One (FNORNRNO)
2017
digital video (14 min 30 sec)
dimensions variable
edition of 3 + 2 AP
Emilio Bianchic
ooh la la
2018
installation view
Emilio Bianchic
Bunny
2018
digital video (1 min 47 sec)
dimensions variable
edition of 3 + 2 AP