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ELMGREEN & DRAGSET: PRADA MARFA
- Date: Permanent Public Sculpture
- Location: Highway 90, Valentine, TX
- Partner: Ballroom Marfa
- Artists: Elmgreen & Dragset
Press Release
Press Release dated October 1, 2005
PROJECT TITLE: Prada Marfa
ARTISTS: Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset
PRODUCERS: Art Production Fund and Ballroom Marfa
DATE: October 1, 2005
LOCATION: Marfa, Texas
On October 1, 2005 Art Production Fund (APF) will partner with the Ballroom Marfa to present a permanent public sculpture titled PRADA MARFA by artists Elmgreen & Dragset. The work will be located on the outskirts of Valentine, Texas near Marfa on desolate ranching land with no other visible trace of civilization. As one drives toward the artwork it will appear to be a large minimalist sculpture, as one gets closer it will look like a luxury boutique where a display of Fall 2005 high-heel Prada shoes and bags will be seen through the store front windows. Yet, one cannot open the door, it is a sealed time capsule and will never function as a place of commerce.
PRADA MARFA blends into the exciting historical structures of the area in which it will be placed. The building is white adobe, a regional material, and the design references prevalent architectural styles. Marfa, largely through the renowned Chinati Foundation, is identified as a centre for minimalist and land art. As we purposefully will not preserve Prada Marfa, it will eventually become a ruin so that even in a future decayed state it will remain relevant to the time in which it was made, Fall 2005, precisely because it has aged.
Since 1995 Michael Elmgreen (b.1961 Denmark) and Ingar Dragset (b.1969 Norway) have collaborated to produce a range of installations and performance pieces. Their projects challenge spatial limitations by transforming various fields of the public realm into surreal environments. Recent exhibitions include: “End Station” The Bohen Foundation, New York; “Just a Single Wrong Move”; Tate Modern, London; "Universal Experiences: Art, Life, and the Tourist´s Eye"; MCA, Chicago". Elmgreen & Dragset are represented by: Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York; Galleria Massimo de Carlo, Milan; Klosterfelde, Berlin; Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo. The artists live and work in Berlin.
Art Production Fund is a non profit organization dedicated to facilitating ambitious projects by contemporary artists, reaching new audiences and expanding public participation and understanding of contemporary art. APF was co-founded in 2000 by Yvonne Force Villareal and Doreen Remen. Past projects include: SHOW, by Vanessa Beecroft, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NYC, 1998; FISCHERSPOONER: LA, performance, Los Angeles, 2001; Keith + Farrah, collaborative exhibition by Keith Edmier and Farrah Fawcett, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Andy Warhol Museum, 2003, PLAN B, Rudolf Stingel summer 2004, Grand Central's Vanderbilt Hall and The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
Ballroom Marfa is a non-profit space in Marfa dedicated to contemporary art and culture. Varied cultural perspectives are explored through visual arts, music, and film. Ballroom Marfa is an advocate for artistic expression, innovation and creative awareness. It was founded in 2003 by Virginia Leberman and Fairfax Dorn, and maintains a large space (a converted dancehall) in the center of Marfa where exhibitions, concerts, talks and film screenings are held throughout the year. Ballroom Marfa is located at 108 East Highland
Avenue, Highway 90 West, and is open from 12pm to 6pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free.
Architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello will help realize the artists’ vision and oversee the construction of Prada Marfa, as designed by the artists. Both Rael and Fratello are currently professors of Architecture at Clemson University.
This project is made possible through the support of the local communities. Alta Carmen "Smoky Brown" Hall, Tommy Hall, Clayton Hall, Shelly Hall and Ryan Hall have generously contributed to the project by lending their land. Boyd Elder, artist, has overseen the project as our Project Site Representative, with additional support from his family Shaula Elder and Flaunn Elder Jamison.
For more information please contact Art Production Fund: 212-966-0193
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