Wot's going on at Gaffa,Mori Gallery, and a couple of others?

Happy New Year! You are invited to attend Gaffa's first exhibition
opening
for 2007


:::Slow Mapping:::

Opening Thursday 18th January 6-8pm
runs until Jan 30th

An exhibition of sound, video and
installation art by Pmfk and Sam
Doctor








Oliver Ressler in Australia
>
>
> Oliver Ressler, Austrian artist and co-director (with Dario
Azzellini)
> of "5 Factories-Worker Control in Venezuela," will be in Australia in
> January. Come to a special screening of his film followed by a
> discussion with the artist.
>
>  Melbourne: Jan 25th Trade's Hall, 6pm, phone 0431 260 787
>  Sydney: Jan 29th, 6pm, Mori Gallery, 168 Day St, Sydney
>
> Entry is free but donations are welcomed to the Venezuelan solidarity
> groups who will be present on the night. Sponsored by the Bolivarian
> Circle and the Australian Venezuela Solidarity Network.
>
> 5 Factories-Worker Control in Venezuela:
>
> In their second film regarding political and social change in
> Venezuela, after " Venezuela from Below" (67 min., 2004), Dario
> Azzellini and Oliver Ressler focus on the industrial sector. The
> changes in Venezuela's productive sphere are demonstrated with five
> large companies in various regions: a textile company, aluminum
works,
> a tomato factory, a cocoa factory, and a paper factory. In all, the
> workers are struggling for different forms of co- or self-management
> supported by credits from the government. "The assembly is basically
> governing the company", says Rigoberto López from the textile factory
> "Textileros del Táchira" in front of steaming tubs. And coning
machine
> operator Carmen Ortiz summarizes t
he experience as follows: "Working
> collectively is much better than
working for another–working for
> another is like being a slave to that other".
>
> The protagonists portrayed at the five
production locations present
> insights into ways of alternative
organizing and models of workers'
> control. Mechanisms and difficulties
of self-organization are
> explained as well as the production
processes. The portrayal of
> machine processes could be seen as
a metaphor for the dream machine
of
> the "Bolivarian process", and the hopes and desires it inspires among
> the workers. The situation in the five factories varies, but they
> share the common search for better models of production and life.
This
> not only means concrete improvements for the workers. Aury Arocha,
> laboratory analyst at the ketchup factory "Tomates Guárico",
> emphasizes that the difference between "social production companies"
> (EPS) and capitalist corporations is that the EPS "work for the
> community and society". Carlos Lanz, president of the second largest
> aluminum factory in Venezuela, Alcasa, coins the key question: "How
> does a company push toward socialism within a capitalist framework?"
>
> The film ends with an extended sequence from a management meeting at
> Alcasa, a company with 2,700 workers, with discussions about
> co-management and the changes of production relations they aspire
> towards.
>
> The film is originally in Spanish and available with German or
English.

 If You See Something Say Something
>
>  Exhibition, workshop and newspaper
project, January/February 2007
>
>
>
> Over January/February an exhibition,
discussion and newspaper project> will
be held in several venues in Sydney
and Melbourne. Eight> international
and eight Australian artists will be
contributing> artworks, articles and
ideas for  If you see something, say
something> which will explore another
side to the debate on "terrorism". The> contributions range from the very s
ad and serious to the more humorous> or whimsical, as artists  see and say
something very different to the
> vision of the world promoted by the government. Rather than viewing
> those around us with fear and suspicion the artists invite the viewer
> to engage with the world around them and challenge their
understanding
> of the causes of violence and war.
>
>
>
> Al Fadhil (Iraqi artist living in Europe), in a collaborative work
> with his brother Ahmed, who was tragically killed by the invasion of
> Iraq, sends a letter home to his parents as they are uprooted and
> displaced by the war that is engulfing their homeland. The images of
> his families belongings, packed into boxes, are a reminder of how
> temporary and fragile life has become in a war zone.
>
>
>
> Grupo Etcétera… (Argentina), and the spin off collective the Errorist
> International, exhibit a video of their "war on errorism" in a
humours
> look at how the "war on terrorism" has impacted on freedom and civil
> liberties.
>
>
>
> Hito Steyerl (Germany) explores the connections between the Kurdish
> liberation movement and Western governments in her film November.
> November is the period of retreat after the revolution of October,
her
> film explores questions of social responsibility, agency and
violence.
>
>
>
> Contra Filé (Brazil) initiate a "Program for the Deturnstilisation of
> Life Itself." The turnstile is a key symbol in Brazilian society
> regulating access to public transport, education and public buildings
> to those with the money to pay. Their artwork sparked protests which
> culminated in students tearing out and setting fire to turnstiles
> outside the university. The initial artwork and
protests are> documented through photographs and
press clippings.
>
>
>
> Oliver Ressler (Austria) and Dario Azzellini's
(Italy) feature length> documentary 5 Factories
Workers Control in Venezuela explores the> process
of social change in Venezuela under President Hugo
 Chavez.
> Venezuela is providing an example of different
model of development> for the Latin American region
and presents a challenge to US hegemony> in their
"backyard".
>
>
>
> With nuclear power being promoted as the "clean" a
lterative to fossil> fuels Taring Padi (Indonesia) create an installation
which exploresthe consequences of a nuclear accident on the populated and
> geologically unstable islands of Indonesia.
>
>
>
> Closer to home Daniel Boyd turns his eyes towards the displacement of
> Aboriginal people and the acts of violence which have constituted the
> basis for the establishment of Australia through a series of oil
> paintings.
>
>
>
> SquatSpace take viewers on a tour of Redfern/Waterloo as they try and
> comprehend the changes planned for this important and contested inner
> city suburb of Sydney and continue their research of this issue
> through a social mapping project.
>
>
>
> pvi collective take a satirical look at what it would be like if we
> actually tried to enforce all the laws surrounding public space
> through the loyal citizen's underground ( l.c.u). The l.c.u has been
> out and about in Perth challenging people who jay-walk, swear or
break
> any minor laws in public.
>
>
>
> Astra Howard exhibits her walking story booth which encourages people
> to talk about their lives and overcome their fear of "strangers."
>
>
>
> The exhibition and newspaper will be launched January 26th at Gallery
> 4a. Etcétera, Contra Filé, Oliver Ressler and Taring Padi will be in
> Australia for the exhibition.
>
>
>
> A program of events follows.
>
>
>
> For more information or interviews with the artists contact Zanny
Begg
> 0421 420 420 or Keg de Souza 0412 920 044 .
>
>
>
> If You See Something Say Something
>
>  Exhibition, workshops and newspaper project, January/February 2007
>
>
>
> Project initiators: Keg de Souza and Zanny Begg
>
>
>
> Participating artists:
>
>
>
> Dmitry Vilenksy/Chto Delat? (Russia)
>
>  Contra Filé (Brazil)
>
>  Etcétera (Argentina)
>
>  Oliver Ressler (Austria) & Dario Azzellini (Italy)
>
> Taring Padi (Indonesia)
>
>  Richard DeDomenici (UK)
>
>  Al Fadhil (Iraq)
>
> Hito Steyerl (Germany)
>
>  Arlene TextaQueen (Australia)
>
>  David Griggs (Australia)
>
>  pvi collective (Australia)
>
>  SquatSpace (Australia)
>
>  Daniel Boyd (Australia)
>
>  Astra Howard (Australia)
>
>  Keg de Souza (Australia)
>
> Zanny Begg (Australia)
>
>
>
>  "If you see something say something," was pasted on bus shelters and
> train stations around the world in the wake of the 9/11 bombings
> asking us to view those around us with fear and suspicion. But do we
> see this government sponsored vision of the world or do these
> advertisements move us to say something very different? In the state
> of exception produced by the war on terror we are asked to accept a
> consensual vision of fear, war, scapegoating and state sponsored
> violence. Yet many are moved to dissent from this.
>
>
>
> Dissensus can mean widespread disagreement, a failure to reach
> consensus or a consensus only among those who dissent. Jaques
Ranciere
> uses the term to describe rare moments of genuine democracy whereby
> new social actors force themselves into the political landscape
> demanding that their voices, which hitherto have been silent, are
> finally heard. While what we consider politics is often a ritualised
> confrontation between opposing parties, armies, or forces, with a
> known set of protocols on how this resolution will play out, a moment
> of dissensus allows a reconfiguration of how we understand the notion
> of politics itself by opening up pre-existing assumptions of social
> agency.
>
>
>
> If you see something, say something will be a discussion, exhibition
> and publishing project in Sydney in February 2007. Principally this
> will revolve around an exhibition that will involve a small number of
> international and Australian artists whose work has explored aspects
> of dissensus – by either questioning prevailing notions of consensus
> or by exploring new possibilities of social agency. Rather than being
> an exhibition of political art this exhibition will aim to question
> how we actually understand the connections between politics and
> aesthetics.
>
>
>
> Venues:
>
>
>
> Mori Gallery: 168 Day St Darling Harbour
>
> Gallery 4a, The Asia-Australia Arts Centre: 181-187 Hay Street Sydney
>
> Chrissie Cotter Gallery: Pidcock St Camperdown
>
>
>
> Events/openings:
>
>
>
> Melbourne:
>
>
>
> Thursday January 25 - Film Screening Oliver Ressler and Dario
> Azzellini's   5 Factories–Worker Control in Venezuela:, 6pm, Trade's
> Hall,  followed by question and answer session with Oliver Ressler.
> Sponsored by the Bolivarian Circle, LASNET and the Australian
> Venezuela Solidarity Network. Phone: 0431 720 787 .
>
>
>
> Sydney:
>
>
>
> Friday January 26 -  Opening: Gallery 4a, 6-8pm, Artists: Daniel
Boyd,
> Hito Steyerl, Oliver Ressler and Dario Azzellini, Dmitry Vilensky,
> David Griggs, Taring Padi and Zanny Begg. Gallery hours 11-6pm
Tuesday
> to Saturday, exhibition runs until February 11. Phone 9212 0380.
>
>
>
> Monday January 29 - Film screening Oliver Ressler and Dario
> Azzellini's   5 Factories–Worker Control in Venezuela.  Mori Gallery,
> film 6pm, followed by talk and question and answer session with
Oliver
> Ressler 7.30pm. Sponsored by the Bolivarian Circle, LASNET and the
> Australian Venezuela Solidarity Committee.
>
>
>
> Monday February 5 - Opening: Chrissie Cotter Gallery: 6-8pm. Artists:
> Contra Filé. Gallery hours 12-6pm Wednesday to Saturday, exhibition
> runs until February 17. Phone 9335 2222.
>
>
>
> Wednesday February 7 - Opening: Mori Gallery: 6-8 pm,. Artists:
Arlene
> TextaQueen, Al Fadhil, Etcétera, Contra Filé, SquatSpace, pvi
> collective, Astra Howard and  Keg de Souza and Zanny Begg.
Performance
> by Justice Yeldham. Gallery hours 11-6pm Wednesday to Saturday,
> exhibition runs until March 3. Phone 9283 2904.
>
>
>
> Saturday February 3 - Workshop with Taring Padi (Indonesian with
> English translation): 3pm, Gallery 4a.
>
>
>
> Saturday February 10 - Workshop with Contra File (Portuguese with
> English translation): Chrissie Cotter Gallery. 2-4pm.
>
>
>
> Sunday February 11 - Workshop with Etcetera (Spanish with English
> Translation): Mori Gallery 2-4pm.
>
>
>
> Saturday February 10 - Closing party: The Chocolate Factory Basement
> 8pm, Organised by Lauren Parker and Supported by Dual Plover.
>
>
>
> Sunday February 18 - Squatfest: The Anti Tropfest Film Fest (text
> "squat" to 0428 477 128  for venue details) www.squatfest.com.
>
>
>
> Saturday 24 February - SquatSpace presents: Redfern-Waterloo Tour of
> Beauty; meet at the top of Little Eveleigh St, Next to Redfern Train
> Station 2pm. www.squatspace.com/redfern.
>
>
>
> Wednesday February 28 - Feedback Session: Is it possible to bring
> political art into the gallery? Thumbs up, thumbs down… a wrap up and
> debrief on  If You See Something Say Something, at Loose Projects
6pm,
> level 2, 168 Day St Darling Harbour.
>
>
>
> With thanks to our sponsors:
>
> NAVA
>
> Marrickville Council
>
> Australia Council for the Arts
>
> Breakdown Press
>
> Bolivarian Circle
>
> Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network
>
> LASNET
>
>
>
> For more information: www.ifyouseesomethingsaysomething.net
>
>
>
>
> --
> http://www.ifyouseesomethingsaysomething.net/ 
> subtitles.