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WWW (World Map), Pictures of Junk
2008
Vik Muniz
Photography
Triptych of 149 x 102 cm (each backboard)
Made from waste collected in thegarbage dumps of Rio de Janeiro, the Pictures of Junk series put detritus on apar with an artistic medium. Vik Muniz recycles what he finds on an abandonedairfield and puts together gigantic jigsaw puzzles before photographing themfrom a crane, as in this map of the world’s junk.
The multiple levels of perception and understanding of the work is revealed according to the point of view adopted by the viewer. What is the right distance to see the world ? To distance oneself, to put oneself to the side, or to come as close as possible? The place of the human being is between the infinitely large and the infinitely small.
Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro and New York.
Conjurer and virtuoso, at first glance Vik Muniz's photographs surprise. The artist is internationally renowned for his work which focuses on day-to-day subjects: sewing thread, jam, chocolate, ketchup, dust, toys, etc. Inspired by current events, art history and important figures, his photographs are both familiar and enigmatic. Witty, lively, his works question the way in which visual information is constructed, presented and then perceived by an audience.
Vik Muniz has exhibited his work since 1989 in a number of personal exhibitions in some of the most prestigious institutions in New York, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Houston, Santiago de Compostela, Rome, Madrid and Dublin. In 1998, he took part in the 24th Sao Paulo Biennial, and went on to represent Brazil in the 49th Venice Biennial in 2001. In 2005, the Miami Art Museum organised a retrospective of his work which toured America. In 2008, he was invited to participate in the MoMA's Artist's Choice series.
Artwork of
Vik Muniz
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