JOEY RAMONE presents Água com Gás, the first solo exhibition in the gallery by art collective Various Artists. The exhibition opened on Thursday 9 February 2017 and runs until Saturday 18 March 2017.

Água com Gás poetically researches a myriad of water related topics, from the privatization of water supplies, pollution, the depletion of water resources by industrial agriculture to water fasting.

During a trip through Southern Europe* Various Artists were confronted with scenes of completely changed landscapes caused by the construction of hydroelectric dams. Such large projects subsidized by the E.U. are a way to generate energy and to ensure water supply for industrial agriculture at the expense of the original flora, fauna and culture of an ancient landscape. Drowning Bonsai recreates the image of drowned olive groves and confronts us with the extreme impact culture can have on nature.

Água com Gás is part of The Great K an ongoing research by Various Artists on the influences of globalization. Several topics resulted in exhibitions, workshops, publications or are still ongoing, for example: about the food industry (Le Château, Luisa Strina, São Paulo, 2012), the agribusiness (Zea Mays, Muac, Mexico City and Mupo, Museo de Textil, Oaxaca, 2014), on water (Água com Gas, Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, 2015), on the commercialisation of belief (Camino Welt, 2016 – ) and on the Walmartization of Europe (Saudade de Europa, Pixelache Festival, 2016 – ).

The title Água com Gás originated in São Paulo at an interview during the build up of the show at Luisa Strina (2012). VA realised that Le Château was part of a bigger plan and invented on the spot the The Great K project. Because they were only drinking water (preferably sparkling water) during the fast (proposed by Morice de Lisle) the water topic got named Água com Gaz.

 

*Various Artists’ Agua com Gas, was directly inspired by the Default trip nadine organised in 2013.