Francis Alÿs: Walking Distance from the Studio
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Text by Cuauhtémoc Medina. Interview with the artist by Corinne Diserens
The ephemeral--the temporary, fleeting character of life--is a central principle in the art of Francis Alÿs, the Belgian-born artist who currently resides in Mexico. He conceives his works in his own immediate surroundings--on walks through the streets of Mexico City. Working in the traditions of Fluxus and the Situationalists, he is captivated by such images as a wind-blown plastic bag, or sleeping homeless peoples, or the wandering shadow of a flag pole on the Plaza Major. Alÿs\s explorations of public space and social conditions in Mexico City are the primary focus of this lavisly illustrated publication that features the artist\s Ambulantes (1992-2002), a slide series devoted to the itinerant street merchants of the Mexican megacity. The book also offers a current survey of his subversive, often politically-motivated work.
Publisher: Hatje Cantz
Artists: Francis Alÿs
Contributors: Corinne Diserens, Cuauhtémoc Medina
Publication Date: 2005
Binding: Hardcover
Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in (21.6 x 26.7 cm)
Pages: 160
Reproductions: 80 color
ISBN: 9783775715416
Retail: $39.95
Status: Out Of Print
Francis Alÿs
Francis Alÿs’s art is centered around observations of, and engagements with, everyday life. His multifaceted projects include public actions, installations, videos, paintings, and drawings; the artist himself has described his work as “a sort of discursive argument composed of episodes, metaphors, or parables.” Across these different media, Alÿs presents his distinct poetic and imaginative sensibility towards anthropological and political concerns. His actions have involved traveling the longest possible route between locations in Mexico and the United States to highlight the increasing obstacles imposed along the border; pushing a melting block of ice through city streets; commissioning sign painters to copy his paintings; filming his efforts to enter the center of a tornado; carrying a leaking can of paint along the contested Israel/Palestine border; and equipping hundreds of volunteers to move a colossal sand dune ten centimeters.