Artists’ Film International: Anatoly Shuravlev, Tran Luong, Vahap Avşar

29 April–14 July 2015
Zilkha Auditorium, Free Entry

The Whitechapel Gallery presents three new works as part of Artists’ Film International, a seasonal programme of film, video and animation chosen by partner cultural organisations around the world. Selected by Video-Forum (n.b.k, Berlin), Germany, Hanoi DOCLAB in Vietnam and Istanbul Modern in Turkey, this season’s works tackle the themes of violence and conflict in relation to the body, the landscape and the gallery space.

Russian-born, Berlin-based artist Anatoly Shuravlev’s Panic (2011) sees the artist handling a large gun and proceeding to shoot at the walls of an empty ‘white cube’ gallery. Featuring dramatic close-ups of his facial expressions and body, shots of his weapon, ammunition and the damage left to the walls, the work is a violent statement against the blank conformity of exhibition spaces.

Vietnamese artist Tran Luong’s work Lâp Loè / Welts (2012) shows the artist’s bare skin being flicked with a triangular red scarf, an item with deep historical and political associations with Communism.  The work recalls a game from the artist’s childhood during which each player twists the silk scarf to form a whip threatening their opponent. Although the game is based on the ability to avoid hits, during Luong ‘s performance he becomes the sole target, the repeated lashes of the scarf leaving behind sore marks on his skin.

Vahap Avşar’s Road to Arguvan (2013) is filmed in the artist’s native Malatya Province in Turkey. In the two-minute video a jumpy handheld camera follows the path of a desolate road destroyed by unknown forces. Once a major route to the east of the country, the road is shown torn apart by a long jagged rift, with deep black  craters  and high ridges rendering it  almost unpassable.

Notes to Editors

– Artists’ Film International is a collaborative project established by the Whitechapel Gallery displaying film, video and animation from around the world. In collaboration with 14 global partner organisations, the programme brings together works which are presented over the course of a year in each venue.
– Artists’ Film International partner organisations are: The Cultural Centre of Belgrade, Belgrade; Video-Forum (n.b.k), Berlin; GAMeC, Bergamo; Fundacion PRÓA, Buenos Aires; Hanoi/DOCLAB, Hanoi; Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong; Istanbul Modern, Istanbul; Centre for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA), Kabul; Whitechapel Gallery, London; Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, Texas; National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Moscow; Project 88, Mumbai; Tromsø Kunstforening, Tromsø, Norway; Cinematheque de Tanger, Tangier and Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw.
– Artists’ Film International is curated for the Whitechapel Gallery by Omar Kholeif, Curator, Whitechapel Gallery with Candy Stobbs, Assistant Curator, Whitechapel Gallery.

Visitor Information

Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm, Thursdays, 11am – 9pm.
Admission free. Whitechapel Gallery, 7  7 – 82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX. Nearest London Underground Station: Aldgate East, Liverpool Street, Tower Gateway DLR. T + 44 (0) 20 7522 7888 info@whitechapelgallery.org

Press Information
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