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The Journey of Sebastian Errazuriz:Book, Exhibition and Exclusive Q&A

Posted by Ray | 17 Sep 2012 | Comments (0)

The twofold characterization of Sebastian Errazuriz as a designer and anartist has bedeviled his endeavors for over a decade now. This much isapparent in the dialectical introductory texts to his first monograph, TheJourney of Sebastian Errazuriz (Gestalten 2012), to say nothing of the workitself, which resists characterization as a tightrope walker hovers between lifeand death. So too does the prolific 'creator-of-things' (for lack of a betterterm) walks a taut line of irony and makes it look easy.

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Yet Errazuriz is also glad to show us that unerring lines of reasoning oftenlead to the absurd results. To mix the metaphor, he picks at the seams of areality that is ready to burst, only to discover that nothingness trickles out.This sheer viscosity of meaning—i.e., its essential fiction—is precisely whatdrives the Chilean-born, UK- and US-educated, NYC-based polymath tosimultaneously subvert and elevate objects, ideas and symbols into, well, art.

Autopsy Desk (2009)

Thus, the "Autopsy Desk" marks a felicitous opening to the survey of hisoeuvre, organized loosely by medium to suggest that a retrospectivetaxonomy to his broad practice. I would have preferred to see the work inchronological order, albeit partly because I was pleasantly surprised, everyfew pages or so, to discover works that I had never seen before.Nevertheless, the desk—commissioned by none other than meme-friendlypersona Keanu Reeves—dash;is an easy metaphor for Errazuriz's morbidlyincisive body of work.

The Journey of Sebastian Errazuriz is available now in Europe and will beavailable in the U.S. shortly. Those of you in London for the festivals can seesome of the work in person at the exhibition of the same name at KennySchachter / Rove Gallery, which runs through September 23; the booklaunch and reception will be this coming Wednesday, September 19, from 7–11PM.

Whether or not you make it to Hoxton for the opening, Sebastian has alsoobliged us with an exclusive Q&A on the occasion of the book and exhibition.

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Nada de Nada (Nothing at All) (2002)

Core77: First of all, congratulations on the new book, The Journey ofSebastian Errazuriz (Gestalten 2012). How does it feel to realize the first ofwhat will surely be many monographs?

Sebastian Errazuriz: It feels great, but It's funny you mention it, since thebook is out I can't help thinking of the next one. Don't get me wrong: this isa really a fun book jammed with 10 years of projects and ideas; but as youpointed out every monograph is timely and therefore incomplete. It'simpossible not to wish you had been able to include the latest project youfinished yesterday or the one you are planning next week. Maybe digitalbooks in the future will automatically upgrade to the new, latest version likeour current computer software do.

The Tree Memorial of a Concentrat ion Camp (2006)

C77: Whether you are working in art or design (more on that later), yourwork addresses everything from life and death to religion and politics, alwayswith a duly ironic or irreverent twist. Your practice runs the gamut fromproduct design to urban interventions; do you see these projects asopposing ends of a single creative spectrum or as entirely disparate forms ofexpression?

SE: I am not sure. I think I see art and design as historically different paralleldisciplines or languages coexisting together, constantly overlapping andblurring the boundaries between each other. The strict rigid definition andseparation of each one is a much more arbitrary and simplistic than its truefluidity. There's obviously no 'art neuron' or 'design neuron.' The wallbetween both areas is merely a cultural construction, upheld to differentiateand protect the different disciplines, their specific experts, students and theirmarkets.

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C77: Of course, even as artist/designers blur the line between the twodisciplines, art and design remain, at best, in dialogue. It's practically moot atthis point, but I have to wonder if you feel that you've contributed to theconversation? (Cf. Christian Viveros-Fauné's nice articulation of yourcategorical agnosticism in the introduction to the book.)

SE: I hope the art critic Christian Viveros is right and I'm contributing a tinypart in attempting to tear down the boundaries between both disciplines. Iwork really hard to find those ideas that my intuition tells me are attemptingto capture the simplicities and complexities of our daily routines.

Lego Helmet (2001)

As opposed the common notion of "design" or Italian "disegno," I don't tryto draw new styles in the same way I don't try to force upon others mypersonal brand of aesthetics. Instead, I seek those ideas that hopefullyalways existed—ideas that feel natural and obvious to all of us because thisalternative was always there but maybe no one had seen it before.

So if I tried to sum up my bilateral work process, I would say that as adesigner I try to incorporate existential functions that have historicallybelonged to the art world and as an artist I reject the old established notionthat "Art has no function" and attempt instead to incorporate practical,social and political functions that will force the viewer to be aware ofconcepts they might have overlooked.

New York Chairs (2010)

C77: Conversely, your work might also be described as what the late Tobias

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Wong called 'paraconceptual' design, meaning "of, relating to, or beingconceptual." Do you think this is an accurate descriptor of your work, orsimply another empty label?

SE: For the past years the "Design Art" label has unfortunately been coinedby a new extension of the previous 20th century decorative furnituremarket. Design galleries discovered they could make money by giving majorcontemporary architects a free pass to create flashy signature furniturepieces which where mostly only extensions of their overly brandedaesthetical styles.

I feel extremely fortunate to participate of that "Design Art" market andboth exhibit and sell my work next to these fat cats; but I don't feelidentified by the "Design Art" label because I couldn't care less what "new"piece Zaha Hadid or Karim Rashid made. Truth is we already know exactlywhat each of their new works is going to look like. I would like to be labeledinstead by a more honest "Design Art" notion that is conceptually based ona collaborative dialogue and investigation that seeks to evolve and pushforward in a similar way we would expect science or technology to evolveand grow.

Complete; R. Mutt Is Dead (2002)

If the general notion of "Design Art" is understood today as extensions ofbig brand aesthetics, then I would much rather be defined by a more specificlabel like the one Tobias Wong used. The day my function becomes copyingmy own signature style, I hope to have the courage and integrity to retire.

Metamorphosis (2009)

C77: I think one of the reasons I like your work is because it follows thegrand tradition of the artist-prankster, from Duchamp to Cattelan, but alsothe likes of Borges, evoking alternate realities. (The Metamorphosis bookshelfis quite Borgesian indeed.) Are there any other artists, in the broad sense(architecture, film, literature, etc.), that influence your work? Besides art anddesign, where do you seek inspiration?

SE: I think what you point out is incredibly important; the capacity todisregard the sanctity of previous conventions and be able to mock therestricting paradigms is an important part of the historical rebellion to oldnotions and a consequent exercise of creative practice.

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Duck Fan (2010)

In terms of influence I do have a huge Pantheon of Artists I naturally follow;but I tend to admire each of them for a particular "superpower" that makesthem great: so in that sense I admire Maurizio Cattelan's wit and humor,Takashi Murakami's workaholic drive, Gabriel Orozco's subtle intuition and soon the list of heroes continues... These artists inspire me to be a morecomplete and attempt to be a better professional, but I normally find mywork inspiration in much more normal and mundane everyday situations.

I actually find a lot of inspiration for example in these false "Déjà-Vus" Iexperience where I could be absentmindedly looking at a street corner orflipping through a magazine and I briefly think I saw something exciting anddifferent and yet when I return and look again I notice there was actuallynothing there and what I saw just popped up as an idea in my head instead.It's as if my mind was having hallucinations, playing tricks on me, suggestingalternate realities to the one that is really in front of me. Many of thosealternate realities can sometimes seem more logical, mysterious or interestingthan the ones that we have become used to in our daily reality.

Spin-Off Stools; Moon Bowls 2011

C77: Damien Hirst—arguably the most successful living artist of hisgeneration (if not all time)—boasts some two hundred employees to do hisbidding. Your work, on the other hand, has a more expressly 'designerly'quality, and I understand that you like to take part in the fabrication of thework. Do you have any thoughts about this curious role reversal, where theartist is manufacturing goods and the designer is handcrafting his work?

SE: I think you are pointing out a true phenomenon that is definitelyhappening. In the case of Damien Hirst, I believe he is a brilliant artist whodeserves the success he has achieved, but like any growing company orbrand; the moment he is too successful and expands too much its originalnature changes and it becomes extremely difficult to continue delivering thesame personal, intimate and uncontaminated intuition that he was capable ofcapturing and reflecting before the crazy expansion and fame.

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Golf Umbrella; Glove Dress (2005)

I could only dream of one day having a small part of his resources and teamat my creative disposal, but I think you need to know when the quality ofthe work starts getting lost and have the guts to refuse the extra money,stop the expansion, return to basics and secure the integrity of yourcreations. I also personally need to get my hands dirty and control theprocess, it also helps to sometimes shut down the brain and simply dosomething with my hands, discover the pleasure of a small advance in yourtechnique, smell the materials, feel the surfaces and be immersed in thework.

I guess it's already a privilege and an honor to just get to that level ofsuccess where you can actually grow so much that you risk losing yourself. Istill have a long way to go before I ever have the chance of confronting thatabyss. Hopefully, if I am lucky to ever be standing there, I will have thecourage to make the right choice.

Piano Shelf (2001)

C77: You've mentioned how you prefer to execute an idea as quickly andcompletely as possible in order to bring it into the world and move on to thenext project (a case of an Attention-Deficit Designer, perhaps). What areyou working on these days? Any surprises in store for us?

SE: Yes, I am really happy and lucky to be preparing a whole battery ofprojects. One of my favorites new projects is a series of art pieces thatattempt to invite the viewer to look again at disabled people... I don't wantto spoil the surprise, but I promise I'll send some images soon and I reallyhope you guys will enjoy the same contradictions and complexities thatfascinate me about the pieces.

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The Journey of Sebastian ErrazurizKenny Schachter / Rove GalleryLincoln House33–34 Hoxton SquareLondon, N1 6NNSeptember 14 – 23, 2012Book launch & reception: September 17, 2012, 7–11PM

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