Artes Mundi 4 finalists have shone brighter than the sun at the National Museum Cardiff, with an exhibition that has ran since the 11th March 2010 until the 6th June 2010. Stand out productions from Fernando Bryce and Olga Chernysheva were pipped to the post by Yael Bartana, who one the £40,000 prize. Her video installation, Summer Camp, depicting a kibbutz commune creation with a hint of concentration camp imagery reflected the importance of not shutting yourself or your ideas off from the scrutiny of the outside world.
With very high standards from all of the exhibited artists, Artes Mundi 4 was a genuine pleasure to visit. With so much to see and think about, you could have easily wiled away hours just wandering around, pondering everything. From new ways of looking at our history to questions about the state, the media and the movements of society, Artes Mundi 4 contained much more than what was immediately evident with layers of thoughts, ideas and imagery scattered in and amongst it all.
Olga Chernysheva’s Festive Dreams, for example, is one of the finest investigations of humanity recorded on film. Within the confines of its simple recording is a display of the motivations of masses. Without scripted dialogue or direction, Olga has managed to capture something that encapsulates a lot of the things that make us tick.
By far our favourite exhibited artist is Fernando Bryce, who’s reproductions of historic printed material that he finds is an important reminder of the things that the people of the earth are capable of. From slavery and oppression in Africa to the propaganda of European states, Fernando Bryce’s recreations in Indian ink are exquisitely worked and powerfully moving.
The 6th June marked the end of Artes Mundi 4, confirming the 2010 run as being a great year for the exhibition as it goes from strength to strength. While you will have already missed out on the potential of the 2012 Artes Mundi Prize, you might want to add Artes Mundi 6 to your events catalogue as it’ll be the next opportunity to see the exhibition at the National Museum Cardiff in 2014.
Artes Mundi exhibition 2010 review: 4.5/5
