FONS ÀUDIO #23 Oriol Vilanova

Much of the work produced by the artist Oriol Vilanova (Barcelona, 1980) revolves around the juxtaposition of antithetical concepts: copy and original, memory and oblivion, collecting and iconoclasm, images and their disappearance.

He is not just interested in the symbolic power and aesthetic and semantic potential of these antitheses, but also in using them as a strategy for exploring in-between spaces: the intervals or what he calls 'crossings' between these opposing ideas. His artistic practice emerged from 'crossings' of his own, from flea markets to the studio, from an architecture degree to art (first as a spectator and later as producer).

The three works by Oriol Vilanova that form part of the MACBA Collection are a good illustration of some of the recurring ideas in his work. The artist uses repetition – a modus operandi that is present in the two collections of postcards, 'Forjadores de Imperio' (Forgers of Empire) and 'Còpies' (Copies), but also in the multiplicity of wooden panels and spaces in 'John' – as a means to reflect on a series of key themes that turn up in other work produced in the course of his career.

Re-readings of material acquired in second-hand markets are often a springboard for exploring the actual practice of collecting and classifying, or the functionality of urban architecture; for reviewing the malleable nature of history; for rethinking the exhibition space by means of structures that force the audience to interact directly with the artwork; and for drawing the spectator's attention to the importance of archives in today's artistic ecosystem, both as a historical record and as a source of new narratives.

More FONS AUDIO:
FONS AUDIO #22. Xavier Ribas
FONS AUDIO #21. Eric Baudelaire
FONS AUDIO #20. Sandra Balsell
FONS AUDIO #19. Eulàlia Grau
FONS AUDIO #18. Erick Beltrán
FONS AUDIO #17. Judith Barry
FONS AUDIO #16. Perejaume