Julia Sbriller & Joaquín Wall: Torontoides

7 June – 1 August 2021

Nude performers dive headfirst into the unknown in Torontoides (2019) by Julia Sbriller and Joaquín Wall (b. 1986, Argentina), challenging the laws of planetary physics and entrusting their lives to the rest of the team.

In geometry, torus is a surface of revolution generated by a closed curve rotating around an axis. The torus is said to be the only energetic or dynamic pattern that can sustain itself and that is made of the same substance as its environment. Torontoides is a video performance by the Argentine duo in collaboration with Roco Corbould, that reflects on the body that contains us: the planet, its hemispheres, its magnetic fields and its mysteries. It draws on the individual and collective possibilities of challenging the physical properties between the liquid and the solid, gravity and non-Newtonian surfaces, wondering on how to unite the opposite poles of the planet travelling through an inner passage of the Earth.

Artist Q&A

Where are you from and how did you become interested in moving image work?

We are a multidisciplinary nomadic duo from Argentina. We are interested in video as a media that drives us into imagining actions and spaces, as a way to create, experience and register our own imaginary realities. Video, as a moving image, translates perfectly the feeling we aim to create both for the spectators and the participants in the production of each piece.

What inspired you to make the work?

For Torontoides, we were particularly inspired by the torus and a new potential connection between both hemispheres of the Planet. In geometry, torus is a surface of revolution generated by a closed curve rotating a round an axis. The torus is said to be the only energetic pattern that can sustain itself and that is made of the same substance as its environment. With Torontoides, we wanted to sculpt the planet into a huge toroid, from Argentina (where the piece was produced) to Canada, (where it was first shown). We were also inspired by the possibilities of visually challenging the physical properties between the liquid and the solid, gravity and no-Newtonian surfaces. We are always thinking about the body that contains us: The planet, its hemispheres, its magnetic fields and its mysteries.

What are you working on at the moment?

We are working on a new series about an intuitive approach to the telepathic property of water and the urge of creating huge sorbet (water-based ice-cream) sculptures. We also are imagining a series of houses based on retro-futuristic water tanks we’ve been scouting around.

Julia Sbriller (b. 1986, Argentina) & Joaquin Wall (b.1986, Argentina) are a multidisciplinary duo based in Argentina. Their work, essentially hybrid and experimental, draws on a variety of mediums, including performance, architecture, sculpture, choreography, video and installation. Their work has been exhibited in Swab Barcelona Art Fair (ES), Buenos Aires Photo (AR), Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires (AR), MunarArte, Buenos Aires (AR), Art Gallery of Burlington, Ontario (CA), Bendita Tu Fest, Barcelona (ES). Julia and Joaquin are currently represented by Quimera Galería in Buenos Aires, Argentina.