Vernissage:
Wednesday, 4 December 2013, 7 pm
A painting might be constructed
from absence to presence,
or erased from presence to absence;
there is no way to be sure.
James Elkins
A collection of works on paper by French artist Patrick Vernon (1958-1998) went on show at the ICI Berlin. Vernon’s artworks, mostly watercolour or pen and ink washes on paper, are a polysemic play with figures, colours, forms – and, their dissolution. The exhibition Unfinished focussed on Vernon’s experimental and playful works, works-in-process involving partial objects, unfinished figures and the interaction of parts and the whole.
The vernissage accompanied the ICI Library Event that explored the creative and menacing potential of the notion of unfinishedness, as part of ICI’s focus on constituting wholes. While some works always remain unfinished despite the unending desire to complete them, others are abandoned unwillingly or explicitly declared unfinished (what in art is called the non finito). How does a writer, a researcher, an artist, or a musician know when a piece of work is finished? And what happens if one cannot finish?
Organized by
An ICI Berlin event, curated by Claudia Peppel
patrickvernon.de
The event, like all events at the ICI Berlin, is open to the public, free of charge. The audience is presumed to consent to a possible recording on the part of the ICI Berlin. If you would like to attend the event yet might require assistance, please contact Event Management.