At A Distance #4
September 2020
This exhibition unfolded slowly over the Summer of 2020, taking on multiple strategies before being finalized in this online format. The original project was proposed and developed before widespread social distancing measures were put into place in March, and as such, many of the proposed works were not direct responses to the changes that the coronavirus has brought to our lives. Rather, it was an unfortunate coincidence that the realities of living in a pandemic activated the practice of making art at a distance in new ways.
The overall structure of At A Distance #4, like each prior year, was that each piece was created or presented in the artists’ absence. The artists in the exhibition provided instructions, media files, scores, or other materials that were then used as guides for a small volunteer team to complete and finalize the work. A wide variety of artists were encouraged to apply, with the hope that a broad and international group of voices could be brought together. The artists were not obligated to attend the opening or to assist in the physical completion and installation of the work, and the volunteer team was expected to provide all materials. The original text of the open call is archived here.
During the months immediately following the original open call, it became undeniable that a traditional gallery opening would be unsafe, and the decision was made to mount the exhibition online. This choice, in addition to various other life changes among the volunteers involved led to many works being pared down to their most elemental forms, in some cases existing solely as a set of instructions. Thank you to Laura Kina, who acted as juror, and to Peter Fleps, who has supported the show before, during, and after the shift in format.
List of artists in reverse-alphabetical order (click names to see each individual piece, or use the page numbers below):