I explore the materiality of language, the phonetic, visual and poetic dimensions of a text or a word as a two-and three-dimensional entity in the context of human relations. I am drawn to what lies among the uttered and the suppressed. For thinking dictates form, a line, an accent, the cadence of silence, all form narratives both in drawing and language. I expose the intersection of the aural and the visual, one where words, text and involuntary sounds are transformed into a visible, physical form. Eventually words are muffled, subtracted, removed from speech, configuring blocks or silent pauses. In acoustic wall #1 what appears like voiceless theater notations (images 1-2) confronts the viewer with vinyl text phrases (“she whispers to herself,” “quite loud this time,” “faint pause,” “stops herself”) which stretch across a twenty-seven feet wall. In phonetic neon [aha], 2011,(image 3) I distill down the excess of language to make apparent an unintentional sound. Aha outlines a sonorous pause, an involuntary gap in between words. Four, thirty-three, 2011, (image 4) 1 minute=1 inch, evokes John Cage’s statement that silence is not acoustic, highlighting physically the activity of sound in an environment. Snippets (images 7-10) is a collection of videos of an average duration of 1 minute, of everyday situations that seem to have gone astray. An elevator stops between floors, a woman whispers to herself, a child fumbles for words. Disembodied characters are aware of their absurd fate, while they do not exist except in the viewer’s imagination. Yet at the end it is all the same, what we don’t see is just as important as what we perceive. Technically these silent subtitled narratives that derive from my writing fade—in and out—on a black slate devoid or other images. Drawn from the video’s discarded sound, recorded words vibrate in inaudible patterns, becoming the graphic representation of the cadence of my voice.
Traducido del inglés
Exploro la materialidad del lenguaje, las dimensiones fonéticas visuales y poéticas de un texto o de una palabra como entidad bidimensional y tridimensional en el contexto de las relaciones humanas. Me atrae aquello que se encuentra entre lo pronunciado y lo reprimido. Debido a que el pensamiento dicta la forma, una línea, un acento, la cadencia del silencio, todos conforman narrativas en el dibujo y en el lenguaje. Revelo la intersección de lo aural y lo visual; donde las palabras, el texto y los sonidos involuntarios se transforman en formas visibles y físicas. Eventualmente las palabras se reprimen, se substraen, se remueven del habla, configurando bloques de pausas silenciosas. En pared acustica #1(acoustic wall #1), lo que aparentan ser notaciones teatrales sin voz (imágenes 1-2), confrontan al espectador con frases de texto en vinilo (“susurra a sí misma”, “muy alto esta vez”, “tenue pausa”, “se detiene a si misma”), las cuales se extienden a lo largo de un muro de más de ocho metros. En neón fonético [aha] 2011 (phonetic neon[aha]) (imagen 3), depuro el exceso del lenguaje para revelar un sonido accidental. Aha destaca una pausa sonora, un espacio involuntario entre palabras. Cuatro, treinta y tres, 2011 (four thirty-three)(imagen 4), 1 minuto = 1 pulgada, evoca la declaración de John Cage de que el silencio no es acústico, enfatizando físicamente la actividad del sonido en un ambiente. Breves (snippets) (imagenes 7-10) es una colección de videos con una duración promedio de un minuto, de situaciones cotidianas que parecen estar fuera de control. Un elevador se para entre pisos, una mujer se susurra a sí misma, un niño balbucea en busca de palabras. Personajes incorpóreos se percatan de su destino absurdo, mientras que no existen excepto en la imaginación del espectador. Sin embargo al final todo es lo mismo, lo que no vemos es igual de importante de lo que percibimos. Técnicamente estas narrativas subtituladas silentes que provienen de mi escritura, se desvanecen (por dentro y por fuera) en un fondo negro, carente de otras imágenes. Procedentes del sonido descartado del video, palabras grabadas vibran visualmente en patrones inaudibles, convirtiéndose en representaciones gráficas de la cadencia de mi voz.
Selected Biographical Information
Education / Training
- MFA School of Visual Arts, NYC.
- BFA School of Visual Arts, NYC.
Prizes / Fellowships
- 2012: Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Fellowship Residency, Amherst, VA.
- 2012: The Fountainhead Residency, Miami, FL.
- 2010-2011: The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Space Program, New York.
- 2011: Nominated for the Rema Hort Mann Foundation grant.
- 2002: The Banff Centre for the Arts Residency, Alberta, Canada.
- 2000: MFA Fellowship School of Visual Arts, New York, NY.
- 1994: AIM Program, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, NY.
Solo Exhibitions
- 2012: “On AIR”, RH Gallery, New York, NY.
- 2008: “Snippets”, Sonja Roesch Gallery, Houston, TX.
- 2007: “Like you I Forgot”, Alejandra von Hartz Gallery, Miami, FL.
- 2003: “who, what, where”, Galerie Articule, Montreal, Canada.
- 2002: “who, what, where”, Banff, Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada.
Group Exhibitions
- 2013: RH Gallery, NYC.
- 2012: Hunter College Time Square Art Gallery, New York, NY.
- 2011: RH Gallery, New York, NYC.
- 2010: Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand.
- 2009: RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
- 2008: PS1/MOMA Center for Contemporary Art, LIC, New York.
- 2007: Non Objective, Sydney, Australia.
- 2006: Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia.
- 2005: Jersey City Museum, NJ.
- 2005: Alejandra von Hartz Gallery, Miami, Florida.
Publications
- Batet, Janet, “El Arte: Un lenguaje mas alla de la forma”, El Nuevo Herald, Miami, FL, September 10, 2013.
- Roniger, Taney, “On Air”, Soledad Arias, RH Gallery, New York, NY. On Verge, Alternative Art Criticism. July 6 2012.
- Kartofel, Graciela, “Notations: The Cage Effect Today”, Hunter College Art Galleries, New York, Art Nexus Magazine, Issue # 85 pages, 115-117, June, 2012.
- Bardier, Laura, “Soledad Arias”, RH Gallery, Arte Al Dia International Magazine. Issue #139, page 106, June, 2012.
- Tschida, Anne Knight Arts. Text based show expresses more than what words can say. May 4, 2012.
- Miranda, Carolina A. Soledad Arias, ON AIR. “This Week: Must-See Arts in the City.” WNYC (May 2, 2012).
- “Notations: The Cage Effect Today”, Exhibition Catalogue. Hunter College/Time Square Gallery, February 2012.
- Index Issue No. 2, September 2011, Melbourne, Australia, Edition of 50. Published by Justin Andrews.
- Garland Fielder, Soledad Arias, Gallery Sonja Roesch. Artlies Contemporary Art Magazine, Issue 61, Spring 2009, Houston, Texas.
- Literal magazine, Latin American voices, Soledad arias,Words vibrate, Pages 14-16, Volume 16. Spring 2009.
- Garland Fielder, “Critics’s picks”, Artforum online, Accrochage, Gallery Sonja Roesch, Houston, Texas, January 2009.
- When Art (or in what regard) a collaborative project initiated by Jannette Doyle. Socrates Sculpture Park, August 2007.
- Fontana, Lilia. Soledad Arias, Alejandra von Hartz Gallery, Arte al Dia International, Issue 119, page 119, june 2007.
- Edith Newhall, Traveling Show finds A World of Influences, ICA, Bartram’s Garden host works, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- The Arts, p. 31 May 12, 2006.
- Reisman, Sara. Soft Sites, exhibition publication. Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadephia, April 2006.
- “Dynasty”, MC Gallery, New York, Essay for exhibition catalogue, 2006.
- Parish, Josh, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens Tribune, page 22, volume 35 #34, Queens Culture 2005.
- Queens Tribune. “Float” Over To LIC for Socrates Exhibit., Page 25, volume 35 #31. August 4, 2005.
- Triff, Alfredo. City Views and Latin News. Miami News Times, volume 20, issue 3, p.52 April, 2005.
- Arteamericas, Exhbition catalogue, 2005. Miami, Florida.
- Fischer, Berit, “Memento: Soledad Arias and Madeline Djerejian”, New York Arts, International Edition, Vol. 9 No 12, p.84 January/ February 2004.
- Balcaen, Jo-Anne, “Who what where”, annual programmation catalogue, 2003-2004, galerie articule, Montreal, Canada.
- Acimovic, Kathy, The Link, Art in the Open, Soledad Arias’ exhibit is strewn about Montreal. Volume 24, issue 08, p.08. September 7, 2003.
- Woodley, Mathew. Montreal Mirror Arts. Talking Pennants. Art Listings Selection, September, 2003.
- Voir, Art listings, September, 2003, Montreal, Canada.
- Gilmour, Brett. Banff Centre artist challenges self-perception through Art. Banff Crag & Canyon, page 6, September 4, 2002.
- Sirmans, Franklin. “The S-Files”. Time Out New York. Issue No. 255, p.61 August 10-17, 2000. “The S-Files”. Curated by Deborah Cullen and Yasmin Ramirez. El Museo del Barrio, NY. Exhibition catalogue, p. 12, 2000.
- Escallon, Ana Maria,” A Visual Dialogue Through the Americas”, The Hickory Museum of Art, North Carolina, 1999.
- Escallon, Ana Maria,” Landscapes”,The Art Museum of the Americas, Exhibition catalogue, p. 18, 1997.
- Time Capsule, “A Concise Encyclopedia by Women Artists”, Performers and Writers, Creative Time, NY, 1995.
- “Artists in the Marketplace”, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Exhibition catalogue, Essay by Marysol Nieves, 1994.
- Cotter, Holland, New York Times, A Showcase of Artists learning their Business, August 19, 1994.