Interview with Hamza Walker and Susanne Ghez

ALEXANDER FERRANDO: Artists Stefan Constantinescu, Andrea Faciu and Ciprian Muresan created The Seductiveness of the Interval with studioBASAR for the Romanian Pavilion at the 2009 Venice Biennale. How does the Renaissance Society’s presentation of the project differ from its first presentation in Venice? How does the new context affect the work?

Hamza Walker: The project is identical to its presentation in Venice. As it turns out, the Romanian Pavilion and our gallery are very similar in square footage and proportion. Because of studioBasar’s installation design, the exhibition is completely self-contained, giving it a remarkable degree of autonomy from its context.  Although the location has changed, the exhibition remains completely the same with no change in its reception.  The exhibition is its own context. 

Susanne Ghez: I encourage you to watch the two videos on YouTube which are excerpts from the discussions with the artists at the opening reception on May 2. In the video, the architects specifically address how the space of The Renaissance Society interacts with their architecture.  The grid above the structure emphasizes the diagonal placement of the structure, and enhances the sculptural and stage-like feeling.  They also discuss the difference between the verticality and the horizontality of the two spaces (here the concrete vault soars 30 feet above).  In addition, the light from the 21 windows around the exterior of the space is quite different from Venice, which changes the viewer's experience of the intervals - spaces that are open to the natural light, compared to the dark theater-like rooms where the viewer experiences the videos, slide-projection, and sound installation.   The gallery of The Renaissance Society is deeper, which allows the viewer a larger space for reflection at the exit.  For the sculptural work by Andreea Faciu, the variety of plants and grasses are native to the Midwest, and quite different from the ones in Venice -- corn, prairie grasses, etc…  And lastly, the reception is bound to be different given the experiences of democracy of the viewers in this country.

AF: Of all the works at the Biennale, why was this project brought to the Renaissance Society?

HW: Formally and intellectually it is strong work, not to mention how it was installed.  The structure by StudioBasar is a critical part of the experience.  As for the three artists whose work is inside the structure, they represent a generation still grappling with the events of 1989, which has given them a particular perspective on the state of the world in terms of moral progress.

SG: When I saw The Seductiveness of the Interval in Venice, I was immediately struck by how dynamic it would look in The Renaissance Society. Romania is far from Chicago, and it's rare that we get to see art from that country, outside of cinema and literature. This was a golden opportunity, given that The Renaissance Society and the Venice Pavilion spaces are similar, to rebuild the installation exactly as the artists and architectural team had wished.

AF: How does the title illustrate the work, or a viewer’s experience of the work?

HW: Between the rooms containing an artwork, there is an empty space with no ceiling.  These are the intervals.  Conceptually, they are breathing rooms, meant to help the viewer decompress as they navigate between works running the gamut from the deepest despair to slimmest sliver of hope. 

AF: What are some themes in The Seductiveness of the Interval that might reflect the goals of the Renaissance Society’s own institutional mission?

HW: The Society’s program is international in its scope and contemporary art is an invaluable means by which to understand the world.  We welcome work that is culturally/socio-politically specific, i.e. work that speaks poignantly and intelligently about the context in which it was made.  Needless to say, communism’s demise provides a platform from which to think about the direction the world is turning.

An abbreviated version of this interview was published in Flash Art no. 273 July – September 2010.