Unfinishablinging
Enrico Gaido
solo exhibition
Portugal
15 2 2023 – 24 5 2023
Before becoming the title of an exhibition, ‘unfinishabling’ was a term artist Enrico Gaido invented it to give name to a paradox that appeared at a certain point in the creation process and that has not left it since, the paradox about the end of something that is not finable. It is the paradox of a gerund that indefinitely postpones the end of a process that, by the very definition of the adjective that describes it, cannot end.
The production of a work of art as a finished work/object is a utopia. There is no such thing as a finished work, and it cannot exist. A work is ‘unfinishable’, but the addition of a gerund serves to extend the awareness of its condition to an indefinite time. Artist is continuing to unfinish something that is unfinishable. It is useful to keep the process of creation in a continuous state of ‘performativity’ (if performance is what an individual accomplishes in a particular place and in a particular time frame), as in an endless game in which only pauses are allowed.
The works that are part of Unfinishabling were born out of play, grown in performance and temporarily paused only to be exhibited.
FAKE FLOWERS AT THE ENTRANCE
Installation – glass, steel rod and cables, transparent glossy varnish, plaster, light – 300x200cm – 2023
MORE PRESSURE MORE RELEASE
Installation – fabric, precision weighing scales, electric motor - 2023
MAGIC CARPET (OR HOW TO DRAW A CONSTELLATION)
Installation – carpet, pencil on wall, sewing thread – var. dim. – 2023
PHYSIOTHERAPY OF A SELF-PORTRAIT
Installation – plaster, valves from vacuum bags, insulation compound, wooden structure – var. dim. – 2023
in grembo – on the lap
sul collo dei piedi – on the instep
in testa – on the head
sottobraccio – under the arm
in (sul) ginocchio – on the knee
a spalla – on the shoulder
sul fondo schiena – on the bottom of the back
tra le cosce – between the thighs
in braccio – in the arm
sul petto – on the chest
sugli stinchi – on the shins
in (sulla) punta di (dei) piedi – on the toes
sotto la pianta dei piedi – under the soles of the feet attorno al gomito – around the elbow
tra le dita delle mani – between the fingers of the hands dietro la nuca – behind the nape
FADE OUT
Installation – carpet, paint, resin, silicon casts – 280x170x40cm – 2023
WHEN MEMORY PRECEDES
Installation – Moquette, resin, paint – 2023
FULL LIST OF WORKS
