“(@mined_oud) – which may or may not be the artist’s email address backwards, creates an absurd type of synaesthesia between an oriental plant (oud or agarwood), the allusion to exhausted mine seams and the apparent creation of a potential palindrome – is the title of the first solo show to be held in an Italian public institution by the American artist Darren Bader (Bridgeport, CT, 1978), one of the most experimental international artists of recent generations.
At the MADRE museum the artist plays with the traditional format of a solo show and turns it into multi-faceted analytical tool of models by which works of art are viewed and mediated within an institutional space-time framework. Bader’s works and graphic interventions are displayed within the itinerary of the collection, constituting a veritable – albeit almost imperceptible – “exhibition within the exhibition”, formed by a series of concealed clues which, in its overall layout, expresses an elliptical perspective, full of ironic short circuits and linguistic games, the themes addressed, the communicative and educational logic underpinning the displays, the theoretical foundations of the collection and the identity of the contemporary art museum. The intricate, nuanced work of the artist is designed as a subtle game for the visitor.” — MADRE
Luca Lo Pinto explains in the artist book that accompanies the exhibition, “[Bader] plans speed dates that sometimes turn into marriages. He causes love to bloom between two people who are unaware of being lovers. Rather than creating, he edits. Rather than producing, he selects. Rather than representing, he shows”.
invitation project, 2017. Courtesy the artist; Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York; Galleria Franco Noero, Turin; Sadie Coles HQ, London.
antipodes: Parmigiano-Reggiano. Courtesy the artist; Galleria Franco Noero, Torino. Photo © Sebastiano Pellion di Persano
chess: shoes. Courtesy the artist; Sadie Coles HQ, London
fruits, vegetables; fruit and vegetable salad. Installation view of the exhibition Darren Bader: Images, MoMA PS1, New York, 2012. Courtesy the artist; Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York
Installation view of exhibition rocks and mirrors, Galleria Franco Noero, Torino, 2015. Photo © Sebastiano Pellion di Persano
Sculpture #1. Courtesy Instagram
The Vagrant (OSS), still from video. Courtesy the artist; Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York; Galleria Franco Noero, Torino; Sadie Coles HQ, Londra; Blum and Poe, Los Angeles
Exhibition was curated by Andrea Viliani with Silvia Salvati and Anna Cuomo.
Images courtesy MADRE · museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina.