Maria Jose Arjona The White Series at Gallery Diet March 8th – May 3rd 2008
On Saturday March 8th the show will open from 7 – 10 PM with Untitled, the first part of The White Series. Untitled consists of a two week long performance in which the artist blows transparent bubbles against the wall, once the bubbles hit the wall they explode, leaving behind a red stain. The piece alludes to the idea of subversive violence and will continue every day until March 22nd from 11 am to 5 p.m. Tuesday thru Saturday.
Saturday March 22nd at 11 a.m will mark the start of Remember to Remember where the artist traces over the bubbles with white chalk spelling out the phrase, “remember to remember” until there is no longer any trace of the red stain. Viewers will be stamped with the phrase as they walk into the space.
Saturday April 12th from 7 – 10 PM is the only showing for Karaoke a passionate piece in which the artist performs the Edith Piaf song, “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” in front of the projected words until her voice is completely gone. Viewers are invited to sing along, and toast the artist with glasses of champagne. In the days following the performance viewers are asked to return and see the memory left behind by the three previous stages of the exhibit.
Sunday April 20th from 2 – p.m. is Dear Dear I Shall Be Too Late in which the artist uses massive sheets of paper to fold origami rabbits, transforming the space into a fantasy world. Viewers are invited to take a trip down the tunnel with miniature cupcakes and can return to the space that same week Tuesday thru Friday from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. and view the sculptural works left behind.
Maria Jose Arjona is a performance artist currently living and working in Miami, Florida. She has exhibited in various locations around the world including The Ballroom, Marfa, Exit Art, New York, El Museo del Barrio, New York, The Frost Museum, Miami, The House, Miami, The Bass Museum, Miami Beach, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Bogota, and El Museo del Chopo, Juarez. She also exhibited in galleries including The Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, The Dorsch Gallery, Valenzuela and Klenner Gallery, and is currently represented by Gallery Diet in Miami, Florida. Her work has been reviewed in The Miami Herald, The Miami New Times, The New York Times, El Nuevo Herald, and El Tiempo. Maria Jose Arjona holds a Masters of Fine Arts from The National University of Columbia.
