Artists Space

When Time Becomes Form:
The Heart of Your Mother for My Dogs

Performance
March 17, 2009, 6pm

Artists Space is pleased to announce a new durational performance by Davide Balliano opening on Tuesday, March 17th with a reception from 6-8pm. The performance will remain on view from 12-6pm daily through Saturday, March 21.

When Time Becomes Form is an ongoing performance series of long-durational work curated by Marina Abramovic for Artists Space. Inaugurated in the Spring of 2007, the series consists of distinct, but interrelated, durational performances. Each of these five-day performances explores and questions issues of concentration, will power, and determination.

White text on a black background spells out "THEHEARTOFYOURMOTHERFORMYDOGS"
[White text on a black background spells out "THEHEARTOFYOURMOTHERFORMYDOGS"]

Davide Balliano’s work, The Heart of Your Mother for My Dogs, whose title derives from the song “The Ballad of Blind Love” by Italian artist Fabrizio De Andre, presents a tragic tableau vivant of unrequited love. This scenario acts as a platform for an investigation of the biological manifestations of hell, described by the artist as revolving around three central themes: darkness, coldness and loneliness. Inspired by a past conversation with a Catholic priest and full-time exorcist at the Vatican in Rome, the artist articulates these themes as embodying the sole shared sensations amongst victims of possession. Through abstract forms and actions, Balliano’s performance makes visible the dark shadows of the human soul.

The performance is preceded by a panel discussion entitled The Shape & The Blade, scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 14 at 6pm. The panel will include Marina Abramovic and Joan Jonas with Balliano acting as moderator. The conversation will address the borders between life, action, performance, and psychosis. No registration is required.

Davide Balliano (b. 1983, Turin, Italy) lives and works in New York. His work has been presented internationally, including the Kitakyushu Biennial (Japan) and the Vienna Biennale (Austria), and is featured in the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Photography of Cinisello Balsamo (Milan). In 2008 he was awarded the Price Riccardo Pezza Prize. He is represented by Jarach Gallery (Venice) and collaborates with Marc de Puechredon Gallery (Basel). This is his first exhibition in New York.

A black and white image of a three by four metal grid with plastic-covered white lights on each intersection. To the right of the grid is a figure wearing all black, with a black hat, facing to the wall.
The Heart of Your Mother for my Dogs. Performance view, Artists Space, 2009. [A black and white image of a three by four metal grid with plastic-covered white lights on each intersection. To the right of the grid is a figure wearing all black, with a black hat, facing to the wall.]
A black and white image of a figure wearing all black, with a black hat, facing to the wall and slightly illuminated by a light in their hands. In the foreground, there is a partially visible metal grid with several plastic-covered white lights.
The Heart of Your Mother for my Dogs. Performance view, Artists Space, 2009. [A black and white image of a figure wearing all black, with a black hat, facing to the wall and slightly illuminated by a light in their hands. In the foreground, there is a partially visible metal grid with several plastic-covered white lights.]

Four Considerations About Apocalypse for a Black Goat and the Last Man Performance Booklet