People Power Pack was made for the exhibition 'We've Lost the Hearts and Minds...', in response to the curator's text, which was as follows:
Dear all
Re: We’ve lost the hearts and minds...
In August 2006 when I was invited by the E: vent to put together a show, I suggested to create something involving the artists from Scrapbook 5 (though few more artists have been invited since...) at the time I didn’t think about the content and what I wanted the show to be about etc...
I’ve finally come to work it out... for the exhibition to investigate the followings: (it sounds theoretical but in fact I am hundred percent sure it will look as non-linear as the Scrapbooks and as open ended.)
1. Contradictions and contradictory traditions of curated shows by artists and group shows as a whole…
2. To be dealing with aesthetics understood as a category of politics rather than politics!
3. To ask the question - in the climate where all the emphasis and the energy in art are being expended on getting a presentable surface - is it possible for art to operate successfully outside of this arena?
4. To deal with the grammar of art rather than the medium and finally posing the question can art be political (taking political art out of the equation)?
Most of the artists invited to take part in ‘We’ve lost the hearts and minds...’ address these issues.
Thanks
Reza
'We've Lost the Hearts and Minds... ' was shown at E:vent Gallery, 96 Teesdale St, London, E2, between December 2006 and January 2007.