BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
“…And Then We Jumped into the Abyss of Numbers: Memories in Absurdity From the Bowels of Peru Ana Ana Peru” opening October 17 at Brooklynite Gallery
Brooklyn-based street artists Peru Ana Ana Peru see action on the street as cinema in progress, full of color, adventure, and absurdity.
In fact, with their fantastical approach they are telling us what we already know; the logic of the street is illogical, so why begin to explain it. To embrace the swirling and jagged movement, color, texture, smell, sound, and architecture of the street is to embrace chaos theory. You can tell that Peru Ana Ana Peru find it invigorating.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (photo Jaime Rojo)
While graffiti culture has become somewhat codified in many respects, the rules of street art are being written before our eyes. Art theorists, facing ever-increasing irrelevance and impotence, find explanations being flushed out into the ocean as they clutch institutional inner-tubes to stay afloat. Street Art, or any name we finally settle on, is not going to be that easy to explain for a while.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (photo Jaime Rojo)
While a public gallery curated by chaos is unsettling to many, Peru Ana Ana Peru have jumped into the abyss and brought riotous color and an ever twisting fantasy narrative that makes sense to – them?
Peru Ana Ana Peru (photo Jaime Rojo)
Embracing the “traditional” wheat pasting is only one option, and while it may be the most pragmatic, don’t be surprised if they move their multi-media paintings, drawings, sculptures and video installations into the public sphere more in the future. And they will not be alone, if nascent trends in projection art (and technology), installation art, performance art, and flash mobs are an indication. Individuals are simply taking their voice to the street and claiming public space more than before.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (courtesy Brooklynite)
Maybe the only irony in this first solo show by Peru Ana Ana Peru at Brooklynite Gallery opening is that it is located in a formalized gallery at all. Bringing the abyss inside 4 walls, a ceiling, and a floor feels limiting. But maybe that’s just my need to define Peru Ana Ana Peru and their work. Obviously the energy and vitality that steams out and around the colorful collection suggest that the idea of venue is no concern to PAAP’s adventurous minds. The calliope plays merrily on.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (courtesy the artist)
Brooklyn Street Art: Do your street pieces express fantasy or reality?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: We are heavily drawn to the fantastic in our work, be it in street art, or even film to a certain extent. Perhaps this is an extension of our beginnings in the avant garde film/video scene more than anything else, but it’s something that seems to have stuck with us. More than that though, we find ourselves repeatedly drawn toward things of a more whimsical nature in our work, things that might express a ‘joy of life’ aspect of things, rather than a heavy handed ‘real life’ aesthetic. In addition to this, we are shamelessly addicted to color, and lots of it, so perhaps this lends itself rather nicely to the realm of fantasy
Brooklyn Street Art: What is the importance of cinema in your work?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: We consider ourselves to be primarily filmmakers/video artists first, and artists/street artists after that. It is the medium that we are most comfortable in, and in which we feel we have the most to offer. In this sense, cinema is our most important undertaking, and we are most happy when we are working on our films.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (courtesy Brooklynite)
Brooklyn Street Art: If Peru Ana Ana Peru had only one medium to express itself in, would it be painting, drawing, sculpture, or video?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: It would most likely be film/video, but with the exception that inside the video we’d use paintings and drawings and sculpture and what not.
…And Then We Jumped into the Abyss of Numbers: Peru Ana Ana Peru even made a promotional video for their first solo show (above)
Brooklyn Street Art: How would you characterize the experience of mounting your first solo show?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: Dizzying.
Three new pieces waiting to be hung for the show (photo courtesy the artist)
Brooklyn Street Art: Do the streets of New York have a particular personality that you speak to?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: It feels like New York has different personalities that speak differently to everyone. And quite frankly, it wasn’t really until after our foray into the street art/graffiti world that we realized where we fit in to the whole scheme of things. It would seem that graff/street artists can be lumped into a category of people that, when it comes down to it, just want to be noticed, just want to be seen, by anyone really. And from this point, it would seem that New York’s personality is one of indifference, like a rude bartender in a busy bar, and that by trying to put your name out everywhere, you’re really just saying, ‘hey, bartender, get me a beer.’
Peru Ana Ana Peru (detail) (courtesy Brooklynite)
Brooklyn Street Art: What messages would you hope the viewer will walk away with after seeing the work at Brooklynite?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: That we are just getting started.
Video still from Peru Ana Ana Peru
…AND THEN WE JUMPED INTO THE ABYSS OF NUMBERS:
Memories in Absurdity From the Bowels of Peru Ana Ana Peru
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October 17 – November 14
Brooklynite Gallery
OPENING NIGHT – October 17th, 2009, 7:00pm – 10:00pm
MUSICAL GUEST: BOMB SQUAD
