Artist's book.
Besides being one of science fiction's top subjects, immortality is one of humanity's most debated issues. "They Cannot Die" by Catalan artist Oriol Vilanova is a possible portrait of how the 20th century dealt with history and fame.
It starts with a fiction written as a theater-essay in which Dalí, Lenin, and Disney enter into a lively argument about immortality in an empty exhibition room, which becomes the fourth voice. Through the discussion of these three icons of mass-culture, empty of any of the spatial or temporal restrictions that so often condition mortals, we are able to reflect on the relations between time and memory.
At the core of this humorous and metaphysical artist's book can be found a facsimile print of a short, 19th-century introductory guide to human taxidermy, along with a visual archive of postcards of museums, which are presented as mausoleums.
Born 1980 in Manresa, Oriol Vilanova lives and works in Barcelona and Brussels. By rummaging through flea markets, his favourite places for research, he builds up a collection of postcards to create a “thinking machine” that provides the conceptual foundations for his plays, installations and performances.
published in September 2011
trilingual edition (English / Catalan / Spanish)
11 x 18 cm (softcover)
180 pages (16 color ill.)
ISBN : 978-3-03764-246-7
EAN : 9783037642467
sold out
