"Hans Ulrich Obrist will be here in 20 minutes. Don't miss him!" a banner by Rafael RG (born in Brazil, 1986) which was installed in 2010 in abandoned public spaces of the city of Fortaleza in Brazil.
The banner makes reference to one of HUO heroes, curatorial pioneer Walter Hopps who was always famously late and preferred to work outside of normal office hours, from midnight to sunrise. Walter Hopps’s legendary elusiveness prompted the employees at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., where he served as director in the 1970s, to make buttons reading "Walter Hopps will be here in 20 minutes."
The banner by Rafael RG in Fortaleza, announces an event that will never happen, and refers to the expectations of the "peripheries" to be discovered and validated by the centre.
It also reminds me of of 'Waiting for Mr. Marshall', the Spanish film of 1953 by Garcia Berlanga which tells the story of small Spanish village, which upon knowing that the Americans are going to pass through town, embarks in a process of preparation and beautification of the village in order to be up to the expectations of the North American visitors, and benefit from the Marshall plan. When the Americans finally arrive, the streets are lined with the people dressed in their traditional clothes, the band plays, a Welcome banner hangs on the middle of the road, but the American convoy passes hurriedly through the village's main road without even making a stop. See the fantastic final scene here.
It also reminds me of of 'Waiting for Mr. Marshall', the Spanish film of 1953 by Garcia Berlanga which tells the story of small Spanish village, which upon knowing that the Americans are going to pass through town, embarks in a process of preparation and beautification of the village in order to be up to the expectations of the North American visitors, and benefit from the Marshall plan. When the Americans finally arrive, the streets are lined with the people dressed in their traditional clothes, the band plays, a Welcome banner hangs on the middle of the road, but the American convoy passes hurriedly through the village's main road without even making a stop. See the fantastic final scene here.
Amigos and Amigas, there's no more centre, the centre is everywhere, you are the centre.
All the best for 2012,
PLB
You can see more of Rafael RG's work here: http://cargocollective.com/rafaelrg
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great post amigo!!
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