Nashat continued his dialogue with the art of others in a new video work, which examined how display and reproduction affect meaning and mediation. By taking a group of selected sculptures not present at the fair, Nashat conceived of these works as sculptural displays of proxies or stand-ins, at various locations throughout the fair, signalling the displacement and absence of the artworks. Through his use of specific film techniques such as radical framing, cropping, focal pulls and the notion of a subjective camera, he put himself in the position of the viewer encountering the chosen artworks.
Shahryar Nashat (b.1975) is a Swiss artist based in Berlin. Recent solo shows and projects include ‘Line up’, Kunstverein Nurnberg (2010); ‘Remains to be seen’, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen and ‘Plaque’, Kunstverein Potsdam (both 2009); and ‘Because the Ultimate Foundation is Not Founded’, Elisabeth Kaufmann, Zurich (2008). Group shows include: ‘Silberkuppe: Old Ideas’, Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Basel and ‘Silberkuppe: Under One Umbrella’, Kunsthal Bergen (both 2010); ‘Shifting Identities’, Kunsthaus Zurich and ‘Scorpio’s Garden’, Kunsthalle Temporäre, Berlin (both 2009); ‘H Box’, Tate Modern, London and ‘Art Unlimited’, Art Basel (both 2008); and ‘Swiss Pavilion’, Venice Biennial (2005).
