Death by water. Death by fire. — Curated by David Lewis — Campoli Presti Gallery — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: May 17 → June 22, 2013

Campoli / Presti presents a show of work by four artists. Four artists: Four elements. Four walls, too. But the exhibit emphasizes mainly two: Water and fire. Water first-then fire. Not to the exclusion of earth or air, ever (how would that even be possible?) but the final fantasy here is the ringing sea. The idea being to associate the technologies of writing, and with them all the related technologies of painting, with water and watery transformation; then to add to this not only the memory of two inscriptions on two Anglophone tombs but also the image (the flicker of an icon) of a curtain of flames rising above the waves. It’s suave mari magno versus et in arcadia ego, all over again.

“This Grave / contains all that was Mortal / of a / Young English Poet / Who / on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart / at the Malicious Power of his Enemies / Desired / these Words to be / engraved on his Tomb Stone: / Here lies One / Whose Name was writ in Water. 24 February 1821”