A Tribute to Henri Chopin at Cubitt Gallery

A Tribute to Henri Chopin at Cubitt Gallery

13 October, 2008
by: Claireflan

Founded as an alternative to the institutional system, a place where dominant curatorial practices are challenged, Cubitt Gallery continues its pursuit of artistic freedom through its latest contribution; a 'representation' of the first three minutes of British artist Tris Vonna-Michell's proposed documentary on the recently deceased sound poet Henri Chopin (1922 – 2008).

Rather than adopting the role of curator, Vonna-Michell creates a space wherein Chopin's work and works from his archive are combined, intertwined, even co-defined. And beyond the exhibit proper, Cubitt Gallery is making Chopin's archive fully accessible for the first time in a public space until 9th November.

The first piece I encounter on entering Cubitt Gallery is a life-size image documenting Vonna-Michell's installation based on Chopin. This was first shown at Bozar Center for Fine Arts, Brussels in 2006 and was stolen in its entirety from the gallery. The piece thus straddles the boundary, or rather twitters quantum-like, between the realms of exhibited work and archival artifact.

In it is a work space, a space devoid of actual people yet replete with the signs of life, activity, time and possibilities, represented through an – at first – banal arrangement of objects, but – on inspection – an esoteric stage of props. Behind this image, which is mounted on a trestle of sorts, is an actual 3-D desk space, Chopin's we might assume. And it's complete with a record playing Chopin's poetry, predominantly made up of the artist soundtracking his own body. Taking the place of dull wall text explanations are a number of Chopin's Ou record sleeve covers for visitors to pick up and read.

Vintage publicity posters concentrated on the back wall of the gallery tell the story of the sound poet's public appearances and performances. They also indicate an impressive repertoire of collaborations with Dadaists such as Raoul Hausmann, Surrealists, Lettrists and poets such as beatnik William S. Burroughs, and perhaps inadvertently give a delicious taster of retro poster design. 

Other poster style prints, to whom whole walls are judiciously afforded, display Chopin's typewriter-poems. One such work depicts a rudimentary figure in clumsy motion consisting of the playful words Flic, Floc, Flac repeatedly, and finally on its own - 'Il patauge', he flounders. Chopin's emphatic nod to childlike rhymes and verses brings us back to Vonna-Michell's large image which features a Humpty Dumpty book.

The poem might not be so lighthearted when one connects the colours and underlaid design with the Czech flag and a detail from Chopin's fascinating biography - Chopin escaped from a forced labour camp in Olomouc, modern day Czech Republic, during World War II. He was later recaptured by the Germans. He survived and ended his prolific life in a wheelchair, still performing his unique brand of art and poetry.

Burroughs is said to have described Chopin as an 'inner space explorer'. It is apt then that visitors to Cubitt Gallery are given an unprecedented and rare chance to explore the breadcrumb trail left by the artist slash sound poet to and from his inner space.

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Claireflan