In the age of mass-sharing, self-obsession, celebrity worship and attention seeking, where everything screams to find out who you are, you have «to constantly labour on the presentation of yourself for public consumption.» (P. David Marshall). It is expected to be more concerned about being seen and validated by a certain scene than about the genuine impact of what you say, do or create. You need to make sure that even if not everything is fully lived/experienced/tasted, it is at least well documented, posted, viewed and liked – therefore validated: Pics or it didn’t happen.
If you’re an achiever, then you should already know that it’s your sacred responsibility to manage your multiple identities as you would manage multiple jobs. Building narratives and attractive stories, putting yourself out there and selling your personal brand – that could be your mission. And that’s possibly our mission to analyse and deconstruct this mess together.
Maria Guta
Maria Guta (1983, Bucharest) is a Romanian artist based in Switzerland. Her work mainly looks into mechanisms of production and promotion of the self and persona construction as a strategic form of public identity. Making use of video, performance, immersive and social media, she reenacts these mechanisms by placing herself both behind and in front of the camera. In the general context of Digital Transformation, she is intrigued by concepts as beauty standardisation, eternal youth and immortality. She is also a passionate researcher on celebrity and the new forms of influence created with social media and each new technology. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from The National University of Arts in Bucharest and a MA in Art Direction from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL). Her most recent works were presented at Scena9 Bucuresti (RO), Istituto Svizzero, Milan (IT), Sundance Film Festival - New Frontier (USA), Locarno Film Festival (CH), GIFF - Geneva Film Festival (CH), Swissnex San Francisco (USA), Gessnerallee Zürich (CH), Roehrs and Boetsch, Zürich (CH), HeK Basel (CH), MU Hybrid Arthouse, Eindhoven (NL).
Lauren Huret
Lauren Huret was born in Paris in 1984 and has lived in Switzerland since pursuing a master's degree at Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD). Her work, mainly composed of videos, installations, performances and collages, is based on an on-going examination of the influence of belief systems and mystical ideas on media and tech culture. Her various research projects have taken her to Silicon Valley to examine A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) and to the Philippines to investigate content moderation and the new status of the image in the age of mass-sharing. Lauren collaborates regularly with the artist Maria Guta and together they are developing pieces that reflect a common fascination with the icon and hyper-mediatization of the human figure. Lauren has recently exhibited and performed at, amongst others, Jeu de Paume, Fondation Ricard and the Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris, FR, the Haus der Elektronischen Künste and the Swiss Art Awards in Basel, CH, the Printemps de Septembre biennial in Toulouse, FR, at the Kunstmuseum in Lucerne, CH, at Pioneer Works in New York, US, Kunstverein Göttingen, DE, and Copenhagen Contemporary, DK. She is currently doing her research on sacred imagery.
Workshop lead:
Maria Guta
Lauren Huret
When?
November 13th, 2021
2:00 to 4:00 pm
Where?
4.T37, level 4
Toni-Areal
Zurich University of the Arts
Websites:
mariaguta.com
laurenhuret.com
Ticket:
Get your ticket here.
