MADDESTMAXIMVS

by Shaun Gladwell (2009)

Installation at Australian Pavillion, La Biennale di Venezia 2009



The picture above is a production still of Shaun Gladwells"Interceptor Surf Sequence", which was part of his show at the Venice Beinnale this year: entitled MADDESTMAXIMVS, the show brought together the artist’s trademark slowed-footage video installations of figures undertaking acts of physical virtuosity, with sculptural works and interventions into the fabric of the pavilion itself, such as a motorcycle that stucks in the outer wall of the building.

MADDESTMAXIMVS has been developed over a two-year period and marks a shoft from Shaun Gladwell’s earlier focus upon urban environments and engageds instead in a performative, personal exploration of the boundaries and possibilities of a human relationship to the Australian hinterland: roadkill kangaroos are found on the side of highways by a black leather clad motorcyclist and given a ritualistic burial, a figure surfs a vehicle as it moves through desert roads, a masked individual rapidly paints and subsequently erases images of the/a universe in open arid settings, and a group of figures spin against natural rock formations.

To see a video about the show, simply follow the link below. Enjoy.

http://blip.tv/file/get/Henrichy0205blip-ShaunGladwellAustralianPavilionVeniceBiennale2009848.mp4