Solo Show
21.09.2006 - 15.12.2006
Nit de l'Art 2006
In a time when war torn cities and landscapes devastated by natural disasters fill the newspapers and television programmes we consume, this young artist questions the validity of the images distributed by the media industry as a means of communicating the reality of human suffering.
To present this selection of stunning photographs and thought-provoking video pieces, Richard will be travelling to Mallorca from his studio at Yale University, New York.
The photographs show devastated landscapes and schoolrooms crumbling onto the classroom desks … images which despite the subject matter, fail desperately to reveal any of the human suffering which took place. Instead, what strikes the viewer is an overwhelming sense of stillness, serenity and stunning beauty.
The videos go even further… Yani Intifada (2005) and Jew on a Ball (2006) interview the inhabitants of these locations with the artists´ characteristic cheekiness, only to reveal the apparent impossibility of transmitting human passions and pain through language.
Richards work is fresh, feisty and absolutely stunning.
Some Context
Richard’s last visit to Mallorca - to begin preparations for his upcoming show – was marked by the unexpected news of Israel´s invasion of Lebanon. Richard had been in Beirut only a few weeks before his visit to Spain, gathering the footage for what has now become his most recent piece; “Jew on a Ball”.
These circumstances had an irreversible effect on the project Richard was preparing, leaving the exhibition – originally meant to focus on the failure of the communications industry to… well, to communicate – with a distinct flavour of the Middle East.
Richards next visit to Mallorca, will be in the month of September, when he will travel from New York (where he is currently completing an MFA in photography at Yale University), to attend his opening show at La Caja Blanca.
