Adrián Villar Rojas: the Theater of Disappearance Bryan Barcena
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ADRIÁN VILLAR ROJAS AVR_Guts_Final.indd 1 9/18/17 9:43 AM 2 AVR_Guts_Final.indd 2-3 9/18/17 9:43 AM ADRIÁN VILLAR ROJAS THE THEATER EDITED BY Bryan Barcena OF The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles DISAPPEARANCE AVR_Guts_Final.indd 4-5 9/18/17 9:43 AM 6 AVR_Guts_Final.indd 6-7 9/18/17 9:43 AM CONTENTS 10 Director’s Foreword Philippe Vergne 14 Introduction: Adrián Villar Rojas: The Theater of Disappearance Bryan Barcena 19 LA INOCENCIA DE LOS ANIMALES, 2013 37 TODAY WE REBOOT THE PLANET, 2013 57 PLANETARIUM, 2015 77 TWO SUNS, 2015 98 Housekeeping: A Conversation between Helen Molesworth and Adrián Villar Rojas 121 THE THEATER OF DISAPPEARANCE, 2017 184 Biography, Acknowledgments, and Credits AVR_Guts_Final.indd 8-9 9/18/17 9:43 AM Director’s Foreword Learning from the Artist Considering the history of art and the history citadels that protectively held this knowledge Asher and imagined a space dedicated to the such, we have included a complete list of the of exhibitions that have defined the field and to be established practice. art and artists of the time. Today, another artist, individuals and organizations that have aided the aesthetics of contemporary art, it is clear From the moment MOCA and Adrián from another generation, is working with MOCA in its development and production at the end of that whenever a project defied conventions of Villar Rojas embarked on this project, the artist to improve what is ultimately a container, this publication. representation and presentation altogether, new has vigorously encouraged us to look critically a vessel for presenting and commissioning leaves were turned. To name but a few pivotal at The Geffen by pointing out what we could artworks that embody our own moment in time. Philippe Vergne exhibitions: Exposition Internationale du not (or would not) see about it—how this I would like to extend my thanks Director, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles Surréalisme (1938); When Attitudes Become structure made of bricks and mortar reflects first and foremost to Adrián Villar Rojas Form (1969); Dylaby (1962); Paul Thek: the intent, the negligence, the habits, the and his extraordinary team. They have The Tomb—Death of a Hippie (1967); Kara limits, the virtues of an institutional structure. activated the goals of this museum in the Walker: A Subtlety or the Marvelous Sugar From day one Villar Rojas had insisted that the most intrinsic and extensive ways possible. Baby (2014); Walter De Maria: The New York material of his exhibition at MOCA must be I am indebted to Helen Molesworth, Chief Earth Room (1977); Roni Horn: Library found at MOCA, in The Geffen. Curator, who brought this monumental of Water (2007); Nancy Holt: Sun Tunnels By stripping the building of its project to our institution and conducted an (1973–76); David Hammons: Concerto in detritus and defunct systems from forty in-depth conversation with the artist for this Black and Blue (2002); IM Spazio (Germano years of exhibitions and by relocating some book. My thanks to Bryan Barcena, Research Celant’s first Arte Povera exhibition, 1967); of its functions, the artist has concluded Assistant for Latin American Art, who Xiamen Dada (Huang Yong Ping Lin Jiahua, that reimagining the role, the operation, the supervised the research and coordination of Jia Yaoming, Yu Xiaogang, and Xu Chengdo): aesthetic, and the experience of a building this exhibition, and contributed his excellent Dismantling—Destruction—Burning (1986); that has embodied four decades of art and introduction to this volume. This exhibition Hélio Oiticica: Tropicalia (1967); Yoko Ono: institutional history would be vital, not only benefited enormously from the efforts of Jill Cut Piece (1964); Ian Wilson: Discussions to the artist and MOCA itself, but to viewers. Davis, Director of Exhibition Management, (1968–); Lygia Clark: Bicho (1958); First The work that he has conceived for and Patrick Weber, Director of Exhibition Gutai Art Exhibition (1955); Mike Kelley: the building will be a phenomenal experience Production; I am grateful for their work. The Uncanny (2004). These exhibitions and carrying with it a narrative of decay and The Theater of Disappearance works of art were true neologisms—most rebirth, a vision of instant archaeology, where would not have been possible without the certainly beyond our understanding of what a literature, a cinematic ethos, a sense of support of the artist’s galleries, specifically work of art could be and could do—and shown dislocation, and an anachronistic relationship Mónica Manzutto of kurimanzutto in Mexico in contexts that were beyond what an exhibition to the present moment will transform The City, whose unyielding dedication to the artist could be. Geffen Contemporary at MOCA into the site suffused this project. Sincere thanks are also The curatorial profession was born of an experience that goes beyond what we due to Jessie Washburne-Harris of Marian of the dialogue between artists and their understand organized exhibitions to be. In The Goodman Gallery in New York for her support. impresarios/facilitators, museum professionals Theater of Disappearance, what disappears I wish to express my deep appreciation who no longer trusted the ability of traditional are the antiquated models of engagement to the MOCA Board of Trustees for their embrace art and institutions to accurately reflect the with art and with artists that just might put of new art and ideas and for their support of this most advanced forms and ideas emanating from the very idea of the museum at risk—Villar exhibition. I am truly honored by the generosity their times. They sought, through working with Rojas suggests this is the time to dispense with of our funders for this exhibition. advanced artists, to invent something else, to conventions. The nature of this project is such redefine a field that could neither be contained MOCA was founded by artists, for that listing all the people involved here in this by specialized extant knowledge nor by the artists. In 1983 Frank Gehry spoke with Michael limited text would be nearly impossible; as 10 AVR_Guts_Final.indd 10-11 9/18/17 9:43 AM 12 AVR_Guts_Final.indd 12-13 9/18/17 9:43 AM Introduction Adrián Villar Rojas: The Theater of Disappearance When an institution invites Adrián Villar Rojas to and film sets; Rafael Portillo at Vuro Industries in Boyle create an installation there are a fixed set of obligatory Heights, who creates fantastic welded metal armatures ingredients: a crew of Argentines living on site in a for trade shows and festivals; and Eder Portillo and his house, hundreds of Skype calls, thousands of emails gigantic crew at Olsen Graphics in Hawthorne, who and WhatsApp messages, innumerable CAD renderings, manufacture and print thousands of Hollywood movie inventories of exotic objects and materials, and the posters for billboards, street poles, and skyscrapers. booking of many flights to far-flung locations. These Philip Castiglia, who toiled with sand, cement, and realities are, in fact, the only things that are assured. gravel, pushing thousands of tons of steaming material At the onset, the final shape of these spectacular around a scorching-hot landscape at the edge of the San installations is completely mutable, shapeless, and Fernando Valley. The women at 99 Ranch Market in the without contours. They are formed over the course of San Gabriel Valley and Seafood City in Eagle Rock who the time that the artist is establishing and refining a were all too happy to display exotic fruits, strange sea very particular kind of relationship to the institution— creatures, and unusual cuts of meat—staple ingredients parasitic in nature and function—while negotiating the served up daily on Korean, Filipino, and Chinese dining terms of his engagement with a given space. tables. The abundantly cheerful and enthusiastic Jessie The interview in this volume describes, among Liu at Providence in Hollywood, who creates stunning other things, the extensive support work involved in and inventive works of molecular gastronomy. Older Villar Rojas’s projects and, more specifically, what such gentlemen in straw hats with sunbaked skin in Sun Valley an endeavor asks of an institution. However, the broad who stack mountains of obsolete electronics at a robot scope of this “invisible” labor extends well beyond graveyard called Apex Electronics. The veritable library of the walls of the museum. We must consider what such Babel that is HPR (the Hand Prop Room) in Culver City, a project asks of its host city, of that city’s inhabitants, where it seems as if one of every object on earth has been and finally, how these human factors eventually come collected, inventoried, and displayed, waiting patiently to to fruition in every aspect of Rojas’s project. serve its purpose on screen. Research for The Theater of Disappearance This list comprises only a small sampling of the required countless visits to wildly diverse locations people and workplaces we visited while investigating the around Los Angeles. Driving around the city and its elements that would eventually make up The Theater environs, Adrián and I sought out individuals with of Disappearance. Throughout this exploratory period, specializations not typically associated with museum it became clear that Adrián had no precise goals or exhibition production, such as George Henderson at preconceived notions of what he was seeking, nor any Legacy Rock and Waterscapes, who fabricates the faux ideal object or objects in mind that he hoped to produce rock work at Disneyland from twisted iron bars in or fabricate. These visits were conducted with the express Anaheim; Maria Percastegui at Milk Bakery, who creates purpose of gathering knowledge and asking what became thousands of confections and pastries each day in a a set of very straightforward questions, along the lines of tiny kitchen in Hollywood; Nick Reade at Paramount “How do you make what you make?” or “How do you Studios, who for twenty-five years has vacuum formed do what you do every day?” and “How can I learn to do vinyl wall textures which are then painted for television this?” In truth, Adrián himself does not actually know 14 AVR_Guts_Final.indd 14-15 9/18/17 9:43 AM how to make much of anything.