Galería Cayón is pleased to present Tempus Fugit at its Blanca de Navarra 7 space in Madrid, an exhibition that reflects on the paradox of representing a changing phenomenon—the passage of time—using an inevitably static medium, such as photography or any artwork created on a fixed support.
Tempus Fugit takes its origin from a verse by Virgil (70–19 B.C.), who states in his Georgics III, 284: Sed fugit interea, fugit irreparabile tempus (“But meanwhile it flees: irretrievable time flees”). This reflection on the difficulty of reproducing a changing phenomenon and the inevitable temporal fleetingness is the starting point of the exhibition.
The need to represent the instant arose in the 19th century with Impressionism, coinciding with the moment when artists left their studios to work directly outdoors in order to faithfully and immediately capture the reality and atmosphere around them. This real and direct encounter with nature allowed them to carefully observe the passage of time, leading them to confront the challenge of representing it.
How can one capture on the surface of a canvas an event in constant transformation?
In 1894, Monet responded to this question with his series dedicated to Rouen Cathedral. The paintings in the series depict the building’s façade at different times of day and year, capturing the changes caused by light and the passage of time on the monument’s front.
Tempus Fugit brings together works by contemporary artists whose practice reflects on this concern: Bleda and Rosa (María Bleda, Castellón, Spain, 1968, and José María Rosa, Albacete, Spain, 1970) explore in their photographic series Campos de Batalla the representation of battles as an aesthetic and conceptual starting point, interpreting traces embedded in the site and our memory; Jan Dibbets (Weert, Netherlands, 1941) investigates the passage of time through photography and installation, making us aware of the marks left by this phenomenon (for this purpose, the artist has authorized the reinstallation of All shadow which I noticed in (…), Amsterdam, 1969, a fundamental work in his oeuvre); Barry Flanagan (Prestatyn, UK, 1941 – Santa Eulalia del Río, Ibiza, Spain, 2009) worked with light as a primary element since 1970, exploring different approaches to conceptual sculptural practice; Spencer Finch (New Haven, Connecticut, USA, 1962) seeks to represent with photography the beauty and enigmas contained within light and color; Nancy Holt (New York, USA, 1938–2014) explored through her installations and photographs the concept of changing nature and its representation, aiming to bring it closer to a human scale; and lastly Bernar Venet (Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, France, 1941), whose work Recouvert de la Surface d’un dessin (1963–2018) will be exhibited—a piece that changes daily and establishes a dialogue about the relationship and representation of space and time in art.
Tempus Fugit aims not to be merely an exhibition about different approaches to capturing natural light, but rather a reflection on the passage of time and its consequences—among them, the alteration of sunlight—and on representing a fleeting moment in time on a static and spatially limited medium.
Embalse de la Portiña, 28 de julio de 1809, Bleda y Rosa 1994 - 1996
Pigment ink print on Hahnemühle PhotoRag Ultrasmooth 305g paper.
5/10
Edition of 10 copies + 1 Artist’s Proof (A.P.)
85 x 150 cm.
BR001
Saratoga, otoño de 1777 Bleda y Rosa 2014
Pigment ink print on Hahnemühle PhotoRag UltraSmooth 305 gsm paper.
2/10
Edition of 10 copies + 1 Artist’s Proof (A.P.)
85 x 150 cm.
BR002
All shadows which occurred to me between 9:22 and 10:20 a.m., Jan Dibbets (1941) 1969
Created on November 27, 2018.
Variable dimensions
Adhesive tape
JD018
Daylight light piece 4'69, Barry Flanagan , 1969
Natural and artificial light on blue fabric and projector
(85 mm @ 12’ on blue fabric wall)
Variable dimensions
BF001
2,562,451.2 Km 4/13/08, 4pm/ 4/14/08 4pm, Spencer Finch, 2008
Archival photographs with inkjet printing
50,4 x 49,7 cm.
SF001
Sunlight in Sun Tunnels, Nancy Holt, 1976
Pigment ink print on paper
127,3 x 156,2 cm.
NH001
© Holt/Smithson Foundation, licensed by VAGA at ARS, New York
Recouvrement de la surface d'un dessin, Bernar Venet, 1966 - 2018
Graphite and pastel on paper
59 x 48 cm
BV024
Work registered at the Bernar Venet Studio under number bv66d43.
