Someone is practicing
curated by Monika Georgieva and Aaron-Amar Bhamra
Laurenz, Vienna
2021
audio, 4:27
photography courtesy of Laurenz / Aaron-Amar Bhamra
In 2021, right after moving to a new apartment, I was invited for an exhibition at Laurenz - a space and a gallery in a private home. In the words of the curators:
Chambre d'Ami⸱xes is a re-enactment of the seminal show from 1986, Chambres d'Amis. Fifty-one local and international artists were invited to re-enact the works of the fifty-one artists who participated in the original exhibition in Ghent, Belgium. Instead of presenting the contributions in fifty-eight private houses, as in the original exhibition, all fifty-one works are installed in one single flat - a 35 m2 studio in the 6th district of Vienna.
My work also came after the end of an emotionally charged relationship. Hearing a neighbour practicing the piano made me realise that learning a new way of being places you in a vulnerable space - but also it is a practice which expands and changes you.
In the exhibition, the audio work was presented through headphones connected to a player situated outside the room, as if coming from a neighbour or outside. This mirrored the sense of distance, reflection, and the blending of private and overheard.
Moving to a new home always evokes many emotional states - maybe especially when you're moving alone. It's the turmoil of deciding what of your previous life deserves to be taken with you, it's the goodbye to your old place - which always feels rushed, - and it's pulling familiar dust together with your books. You start to question your habits and routines, some things will change, others will harden inside you as something to hold onto. And then you hear a neighbour is practicing the piano...