Edgar Sarin: {647912} Decoded

 The crowd wall, photographed by Jared Zagha

{647912} curated by Edgar Sarin

artists include: Marcella Barceló, Stephen Dean, Anne Deleporte, David Dixon, Sol
LeWitt, René Magritte, Simon Martin, Gaspard Maîtrepierre, Vik Muniz, Edgar Sarin,
Reinhard Voss, Jeannie Weissglass & Zach Bruder

By YELENA FURMAN, MAR. 2015

            Proposed and curated by artist Edgar Sarin, {647912} is a group show of 13 artists presented by Galerie L’Inlassable. On March 8^th, 170 Suffolk Street became a revolving exhibition highlighting each exhibiting artist on opposite walls. A special staging finale is scheduled in the space on March 21st.

            The exhibition’s title, {647912}, is a step forward in what Sarin likes to describe as “an exhibition in motion.” It is a style of curating he has been developing for some time within the white cube of a gallery space. The right wall, referred to as “the crowd,” displays all of the selected artist’s works. Then daily, one artist from the main grouping is taken to the left wall of the gallery. Sarin calls this the “mirror” in the sense that each piece from the main group of works is highlighted on the opposing wall.

This kind of staging, referred to in French by Edgar as “mise en scène,” is his inspiration for the exhibition. By using each art piece as a part of a new composition, it changes the exhibition daily and results in another point of view, referential to all the works presented.

As with daily life, there are unplanned, sporadic concepts that appear during the show. Edgar arrives each morning at 7am with a plan for each piece to be staged. However, he is always aware of the “accident.” The result is an unplanned part of the exhibition, specifically, an entry wall that has organically become another staging focus of the exhibition. Originally a blank wall, this wall evolves each day of the exhibition with items such as flowers, art pieces and lighting which then creates Sarin’s “daily composition.”

 Anne Deleporte works on mirror wall, photographed by Jared Zagha

The artists in the show were chosen by “drawing a line by what we call surrealistic and minimalistic” states Sarin. “The historical pieces of Sol LeWitt and René Magritte in the show were the basis for picking the other artists.” Most of the other artists are represented by Galerie L’Inlassable, although others, like Zach Bruder, Jeannie Weissglass and David Dixon, are New York-based artists picked solely for being within the “line.” The works of artist David Dixon, currently stacked on the floor with only the back of the canvas visible, will remain unseen until unveiled on March 20^th on the show’s “mirror” wall.

Edgar, an artist himself, is constantly transitioning. Shown within the exhibit is an extension of his Lifetime Concessions works (paintings hidden inside wrapped wooden boxes to be opened upon the artist’s death). However, for the first time, the diptych work shown is to be opened in 2017 during the next solar eclipse. This is the beginning of a series correlated to the Solar cycle of 77 eclipses and will contain political pieces once unveiled. 

Edgar has also started a newspaper publication, the third issue of which is written in English for this exhibition. This edition, entitled The Antechamber of the Radiant Substance, is the tool needed to decode the exhibition title {647912} and find the location of the hidden "relic" containing the essence of this show. WM

Edgar Sarin’s diptych work, photographed by Jared Zagha