A definição da arte

"Definição da Arte (Definition of Art) is an ironic commentary on a facet of the art world. It’s a critical take on the world of theory and on the power attributed to discourses that exalt certain values, which are often inexistent in the artworks, but nevertheless influence their sacralization as cultural goods and drive up their market value. The fact of nodding off repeatedly at a pseudo-conference on art with simultaneous translation, which is in itself tremendously monotonous, is further underscored by the duration of the video, a long take in real time, lasting about 24 minutes. 

I began my work on the piece by recompiling texts from several authors from the world of art critique and theory that dealt with generalities, not naming any specific names, artworks or styles. Once I had them, I collaged the texts to lend an apparent sense of continuity to what is, in fact, complete nonsense. I cut up the phrases, re-scrambled their fragments again and then recorded the text twice — once in Spanish and once in English. The two versions were superimposed with a slight delay between them, mimicking the simultaneous translations used in conferences. The superimposed reading of these texts provides the soundtrack to the video. The images were shot using a camera on a tripod, and I filmed myself sitting in a chair trying to pay attention, nodding off to sleep and waking up in a startle.

I wanted to highlight what happens to many discourses that attempt to explain visual artworks with words, which are not always the adequate code for such an endeavor; this is especially the case with exhibitions’ introductory texts, which are often disconnected from the true meaning of the art they approach, and in which a rhetoric devoid of any content prevails. 

The video is very simple in its form and production; there is no sequence to provide meaning, nor is there any interest — the aspects that characterize a narrative. On the contrary, we could say that the intention is that of an anti-narrative, albeit a fictional one, intended to create a situation of monotony, to the point that surely no one will have the patience to watch the video in its entirety. 

I make videos the same way — I take pictures, manipulate images, or create installations. The idea for each artwork demands a different technique or media each time. Thus, within my poetics, maybe the Definição da Arte video is somehow connected with other pieces that are laced with a certain irony, but this commonality has more to do with concept than with the actual media."

Vera Chaves Barcellos in a statement to PLATFORM:VB (July 2015)