Exhibitions
Charles H. Scott Gallery, Emily Carr College of Art and Design
Stadium IV
Antonio Muntadas
Curated by Daina Augaitis, organized by the Walter Phillips Gallery
Stadium IV, Antonio Muntadas multi-media exploration of the cultural implications of stadium events, will be at Charles H. Scott Gallery from April 8 to May 6, 1990.
Combining architectural elements, video, slide projections, photo enlargements and a soundtrack, Stadium IV recalls both historical and contemporary functions of the stadium as a tool for various systems of propaganda, from cultural and political to commercial. According to Muntadas, “The installation Stadium: Homage to the Audience acts as a metaphor using the stadium as a paradox. On the one hand, the spectacle is shown as a mass event. On the other, the spectacle is a vehicle for propaganda and the manipulation of the masses under the cover of entertainment.”
“The 20th century stadium has become a set for mass media events that reach a dual audience; the live audience and the media public. The first perceives the event from a personal viewpoint with direct sensorial impact and the latter receives the mediated viewpoint that finally becomes the worldwide reality of the event.” The consequent ability of producers and managers to manipulate the audience is explored in Stadium IV and it becomes a metaphor for the larger manipulations of contemporary society.
Stadium IV was created during the artist’s three-month residency at The Banff Centre’s Leighton Artist Colony. The exhibition was organized by the Walter Phillips Gallery at The Banff Centre and curated by Daina Augaitis. A Barcelona native, Muntadas has lived in New York since 1971. His installations, site specific projects and video tapes have been widely exhibited in the U.S., Europe and South America.
In association with this exhibition, the Walter Phillips Gallery and The Banff Centre’s Media Arts program collaborated to produce a compact disc which reproduces the installation’s soundtrack as well as four other audio interpretations of Stadium IV. This disc and catalogue will be available during the exhibition.
The artist will attend the opening of Stadium IV on Saturday, April 7, 1990 at 8:00 p.m. Stadium IV was organized and circulated by the Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alta. with the financial support of The Canada Council.
