Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
Weds 24 Feb – Sat 26 May
Music for the Gift is James Richards’ contribution to Cymru yn Fenis/Wales in Venice, commissioned by the Venice Biennale in 2017, which is now making its UK debut in Chapter Arts Centre. Most artists claim art has to be experienced to be truly appreciated, and it doesn’t seem like Richards’ offering is going to be an exception. One piece, Migratory Motor Complex appears to be a kind of sound exhibit designed to shift a sonic space around the viewer, a “poetic audio-collage” created in conjunction with students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. The result, translated from gallery-speak, seems to be a panning arrangement of various sound-effects and vocal-recordings designed to direct and mess with your perception in an artsy way: paracetamol is advised.
What Weakens the Flesh is the Flesh Itself is another feature, focused on Albrecht Becker –a photographer imprisoned by the Nazis for homosexuality, who revealed in his private work an obsessed with body modification. Melding an extensive archive of self-portraits with medical footage and material is an attempt to show an artist’s body as an artistic work in itself. Alongside other artistic collaborators in a variety of mediums, Richards’ offering should well be a go for the gallery-loving bracket who appreciate deciphering a piece’s qualities.
Admission: free. Info: +44 (0)29 2030 440 / www.chapter.org (JM)