Curator
BRYONY NAINBY
Artist
ET AL.
Maintenance of Social Solidarity
Date: 17-Mar-2007 – 08-Apr-2007
Location: Contemporary Art Tasmania
Balance is as crucial to a well-ordered society as it is to a full human life. It should not be mistaken for taking the middle road or splitting the difference. Nor does it imply a state that is static or a nation at rest.
Taking a scientistic view the New Zealand based group et al. are interested in discovering the principles underlying human ritual, just as scientists three centuries or so ago were interested in discovering the source of the rainbow.
The artistic collective et al. comprises individuals and groups who have worked together and separately on projects which investigate systems of belief and understanding. Their challenging and fungible research on human behaviour has gained international interest, most recently at the 2005 Venice Biennale where the group represented New Zealand with their site-specific installation, the fundamental practice. Maintenance of Social Solidarity presents findings which incorporate recent Australian investigations.