WHITE LIES CARVE CANYONS

Artist Melanie Teresa Bohrer transforms the gallery space into a participatory artist book as part of the Abierto València 2021 programme.

Opening: September, 24 — 7:30 pm.

WHITE LIES CARVE CANYONS

“Following the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 I wrote ‘This Apple’. Six months prior, the Reichstag was stormed by Neo-Nazis in Berlin. At both, lethal flags flew high in the sky and bloodshed was palpable—water droplets held captive by the air on a hot day before a catastrophic storm. News media endlessly regurgitates the horrors of the ongoing assaults on (what lays claim to be) our democracies. But what, if anything, do we do? Nationalism is on its perpetual quest to colonize. Or is it capitalism? Is there a difference?” ~ Melanie Teresa Bohrer

White Lies Carve Canyons is born from this reflection and first poem: ‘This Apple’, and it does so as an artist’s book of variable dimensions that extends throughout the entire gallery space and that can only be completed and activated with the participation of the audience.

Just as the histories of our nations leave their mark on us, so do the essential materials that make up the piece: graphite and iron oxide. Both pigments have been with us since ancient times, used to mark, dye, preserve and corrode; materials that are still very present in our daily lives, with which we have come into direct contact, whether we are aware of it or not.

In the center of the room, there is a piece of silk stretched out in the shape of an ellipse – without beginning or end, which invites us to intervene through two simple gestures: mending or cutting, each of which will leave a different imprint on the fabric (the thread impregnated with oxide; the scissors, with graphite), in turn transforming someone else’s previous mark.

White lies carve canyons is an open and collective proposal that allows us to relate to the artist’s work in a sensorial way not only through our hands, but with the whole body and especially with our bodies in conversation with those of others; exploring how through everyday actions—sewing and cutting, and necessary forces—building and destroying, we weave the connective tissue that shapes us as a society.

MELANIE TERESA BOHRER’S WORK

Melanie Teresa Bohrer’s work investigates the in-between spaces connecting generations and individuals. Intrigued by the imaginary of national trauma and historical memory, Bohrer turns her attention to places and physical objects that remind us of our past: shrines, memorials and ceremonial garments that veil the human form, questioning their impact and function on the collective consciousness and their healing potential.

The artist habitually draws from artisanal forms of making: handmade papermaking, printmaking, ceramics and embroidery, as well as other media such as installation and artist books, to which she gives a special place in her production. She creates pieces that haptically relate not only with our hands, but with the whole body and with our bodies in conversation with others; exploring the connective tissue that shapes us as a society.

Contact:                                                                                   VISITOR HOURS ABIERTO VALENCIA

THE LIMINAL                                                                            Sept. 24, 7 pm – 10 pm

Plaza de Vannes, 3, local 1                                                       Sept. 25, 11 am – 8 pm

46007 VALENCIA                                                                                 

T: 0034 960 480 007                                                                GENERAL HOURS

email: info@theliminal.es                                                        Tue to Fri, 11 am – 6:30 pm

web: www.theliminal.es                                                           24.09 — 05.11.21