This play is a reflection on the (im)possibility of accepting diversity and the other. The fragmented body of the neoplasm—the fruit of unstable conditions—overcomes barriers, loves and denies itself and others, wanders around, forgetting its profession. It frequently and with pleasure divides, goes through dangerous palpation, questions the possibility of contact with the experience of the other. Poorly brought up but very successful, it invites us to a trans-species transition.
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Without any special processing effects, except changing the shape of the TV projection, Catala's TV Blobs achieve an effortless mass and volume. Looking as if they are TV birthday balloons, floating with ease and kaleidoscopic effect above the viewer, they deliver a satisfying sculptural as well as cultural statement. They appear, at once, "highly technological and fairly stupid" — and vulnerable (one could imagine popping them with a pin). The tension between the violence of the broadcasting of 24-hour news, advertisements, sit-coms, soap operas, reality shows, etc., and the highly aestheticized nature of their forms (they are like gorgeous designer specialty items —i.e. new fangled furniture, curtains, banners) make the TV blobs both menacing and seductive. They are fun to look at — entertaining, addictive forms. And easy to make: they are produced with a pre-packaged software program. Like Pumpkin's distortion effects, the production was painless: "The piece took me 7 minutes to record, I pressed play and recorded." In the spirit of video wallpaper or screensavers, the TV Blobs are page holders — they force us to look at the lowest common denominator of our mediated culture.
Curated by Melissa Ragona
Exhibition
Antoine Catala creates new and playful relations between language and reality. Exploring miscommunications, he seeks to unearth some of the ways in which meaning is transmitted via words, signs, texts, emojis – especially across communication platforms. Through his text works and sculptural installations he draws attention to how – often unthinkingly – the way the message is transmitted, rather than the message itself, affects us.
Catala was born in Toulouse, France, and lives and works in New York. He gained a degree in Mathematics from the Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France, before studying BA Sonic Arts at Middlesex University, London, and BA Fine Art, London Guildhall University, UK. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions across galleries and institutions in the United States and Europe, including 47 Canal, New York; Galerie Christine Mayer, Munich, Germany; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC; Whitechapel Art Gallery, London; MoMA PS 1, New York; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. His work has been included in The Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art, Latvia; the New Museum Triennial, New York; and the 12th Lyon Biennale, France.
