City Centre Station

A pioneer in the fields of conceptual and media art, Antoni Muntadas has a practice that includes performance, video, photography, multimedia installations, publications, Web-based projects, and public art. Incorporating in-depth research and astute readings of cultural situations, his incisive works have addressed ideas such as the relationship between public and private, the role of the media in transmitting ideas, and the complex dynamics of architecture and other social frameworks. Translation and its many implications is the central theme of Muntadas’s ongoing On Translation series, started in 1995, which comprises works created in a variety of political, cultural, and economic contexts. These works consider the interpretation of words, concepts, histories, and values not only across different languages, but also through the invisible conventions inherent in all forms of communication. On Translation: Warning is a series that calls into question the manipulation of information and encourages audiences to participate in the decoding process. These works have been installed around the world and their common thread is the sentence “Warning: Perception Requires Involvement,” which the artist has translated into local languages and displayed using such supports as posters, stickers, press inserts, building facades, windows, and other public spaces.

This presentation is part of a larger exhibition of the artist’s work, Muntadas: Entre/Between, on view at the Vancouver Art Gallery from November 9, 2013, until February 10, 2014.