'Dissident'
'Dissident'
'Dissident'
'Dissident'
'Dissident'
'Dissident'

'Dissident'

UBIK

16 Abr > 26 May. 2012

Sabrina Amrani Art Gallery (Calle Madera, 23. Madrid. Spain) hosts the first solo show in Europe of Dubai based artist UBIK (India, 1985). '’Dissident', a show that perverts with black humor and satire the classic codes of propaganda. A crossword trying to resolve the Israel- Palestinian conflict, bottles of Coca-Cola serving as Molotov cocktails or a shirt with revolutionary marketing guidelines. A personal view on the absurdities of the world order with which UBIK expected to infuse and spread his "own brand of propaganda." So defined by the artist, "post-recession anarchist tendencies that make people smile ... or shake."


UBIK will be unable to attend the opening of his first show in Europe. He is still awaiting a visa to get out of UAE. In a way, this sums up the spirit of his proposal, in his country of residence -UBIK is Indian- to be anartist is not officially considered as a job. However the many obstacles to attend this exhibition of his work, he says: "now that the show is happening i find it amusing that i can't travel for the opening because of pending visa issues in dubai. it's ironic that i actually am now in the position of being a 'dissident'”.

 

This story is reflected in the piece which gives its name to the show, ‘Dissident’, in which a scanof the visa document of the artist-withoutofficial- job conforms a sort of self portrait. It is a good summary of the conceptual direction that has taken the artistic production of the young artist UBIK. Their proposals call for reflection, in search of a reaction of the viewer as an integral part to the artistic production. Sabrina Amrani exhibits a dozen of his works. The exhibition opens with Breaking news, showing a glass podium that advises to break the glass "in case of hysteria." The interior houses a remote control. With it, UBIK denounces the state of tension aroused by media in the ordinary citizen.


This same state of excitement, in this case associated with various socio-political problems, is seen in A firm grip, which shows the above bottles of Coca-Cola turned into Molotov cocktails. Consumerism plays a important role in two of the proposed UBIK’s artworks: A shuffle is haunting Europe, which stars an iPod Shuffle, and The Revolution will be Mrerchandised, where the artist offers his vision of the commercialization process of any revolution; ultimately, what remains of them are the t-shirts with images or messages of revolutionary leaders.


The text is the protagonist in the rest of the exhibition. In Presentence, a plaque - such as those discovered by politicians and leaders in inagurations- explores the notion of perpetrators and their lies, in Pledge of Allegation the declaration of the rights of detainees becomes an indictment of the lack of political freedom, while, I am away focuses on censorship and Sermon reflects on the clash between religion and ideology.
 

More information about 'Dissident'

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Works in the exhibition