No. 16 / 20 · Movements, by Gastón Solís

Occupied

the girl with the dripping heart

Pictures on Walls · London · 2003

Occupied, No. 16 of Movements, by Gastón Solís

A late addition. The collection had been closed for over a decade when this piece entered it, and I had not intended to revisit the matter. The only art present in this piece, as I see it, is what is happening behind the door. The image on the door is made with a stencil and spray paint — a sheet of plastic with holes cut in it, and an aerosol can with a button. The can had been designed by engineers in Pennsylvania. The pigment had been formulated by chemists in Düsseldorf. The propellant had been measured by a machine. The painter pushed a button.

Button pushing will never produce art, and the button pusher will never be an artist. This is not art, no matter how clever the idea or how good the execution.

Provenance

Stencilled to the outside of a women’s restroom stall door at Bristol Central Library, College Green, Bristol, c. 2003; documented in situ by the Bristol Evening Post, 12 May 2004; authenticated, 2010; removed during the building’s refurbishment, 2017, the stall door cut from its frame as a single panel; sold at Sotheby’s London, Contemporary Art Evening Auction, 28 June 2018, lot 142; the sale publicly disavowed by the artist; private collection, Doha, 2018—. The present piece is one of a signed edition of fifty published by Pictures on Walls, London, 2004; acquired through a Madrid dealer, 2019.

The book

MovementsGastón Solís Index of works

The collection

Det Stille InteriørNo. 01 · Det Stille InteriørEl Cuerpo SolitarioNo. 02 · El Cuerpo Solitario

Private MarksNo. 03 · Private MarksThe Weight of the DayNo. 04 · The Weight of the DayAl-SākinNo. 05 · Al-SākinBetween the Empty and FullNo. 06 · Between the Empty and FullVisarjanNo. 07 · Visarjan

Forme & SilenceNo. 08 · Forme & SilenceHomage to the Seated FormNo. 09 · Homage to the Seated FormLe LecteurNo. 10 · Le LecteurIl Corpo AssenteNo. 11 · Il Corpo Assente

Knees BentNo. 12 · Knees Bentthe DepositionNo. 13 · the DepositionIl Gesto PrivatoNo. 14 · Il Gesto PrivatoStillness in ColorNo. 15 · Stillness in Color

OccupiedNo. 16 · OccupiedThe Unfinished FigureNo. 17 · The Unfinished FigureSubway RitualNo. 18 · Subway Ritual

Die Schwere StundeNo. 19 · Die Schwere StundeThe Small RoomNo. 20 · The Small Room

Reflection

The Church appointed a patron saint to nearly every room of the house. Lawrence to the kitchen, Jerome to the study. The dining room was awarded two, Martha for the host and Zita for the staff who served, with an image of the Last Supper hung above the table and a blessing said over every meal. At one door the coverage stopped. Intake received a sacrament, output received a demon.

L’Église a attribué un saint patron à presque chaque pièce de la maison. Laurent à la cuisine, Jérôme au bureau. La salle à manger en reçut deux, Marthe pour l’hôte et Zita pour le personnel qui servait, avec une image de la Cène accrochée au-dessus de la table et une bénédiction dite à chaque repas. À une porte, la couverture s’arrêtait. L’entrée recevait un sacrement, la sortie un démon.

La Iglesia asignó un santo patrono a casi todas las habitaciones de la casa. Lorenzo a la cocina, Jerónimo al estudio. Al comedor le tocaron dos, Marta para el anfitrión y Zita para la servidumbre, con una Última Cena colgada sobre la mesa y la bendición de los alimentos en cada comida. En una puerta se acababa la cobertura. La entrada recibía un sacramento; la salida, un demonio.

Die Kirche hat fast jedem Zimmer des Hauses einen Schutzheiligen zugeteilt. Laurentius der Küche, Hieronymus der Studierstube. Dem Esszimmer wurden zwei zugesprochen, Martha für den Gastgeber und Zita für das Personal, das bediente, dazu ein Bild des Letzten Abendmahls über dem Tisch und ein Tischgebet zu jeder Mahlzeit. An einer Tür endete die Deckung. Die Einnahme erhielt ein Sakrament, die Ausgabe einen Dämon.

教会几乎为家中的每个房间都指派了一位主保圣人。厨房归劳伦斯,书房归哲罗姆。餐厅分得两位:马大护佑主人,齐塔护佑侍席的仆役;餐桌上方挂着一幅《最后的晚餐》,每餐都要念一段祝祷。到了某一扇门前,覆盖范围就此止步。入口领受的是圣事,出口领受的是魔鬼。

Back Movements. Gastón Solís. Movements Gastón Solís The Book(Coming soon)

A project to support awareness and research into IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and other gastrointestinal conditions, and the work of ending the stigma around the bodies we live in.