Implicit Sound is the second cycle of exhibitions for Espai 13 curated by multidisciplinary artist TRES. The title of the project not only stresses its connection with the previous Espai 13 cycle, Explicit Silence, but also reflects visual artists' growing interest in using sound in their work.
The five participants in this project are all eminently visual artists who use sound in an implicit fashion, i.e. by including sound in their work though not necessarily as the main component. Their preference for installations suggests a form of art without any limitations in terms of expressive resources, where the transformation of space tends to be a central aspect.
Implicit Sound is not therefore in essence a cycle on sound, and even less so one on sound art. It is a visual arts cycle that aims to express our interest in a form of sound hidden or contained in pieces by certain visual artists without ever playing a major role. The cycle follows in the same vein as Explicit Silence in that it refers to sound as a concept closely linked to silence, either by its nature as 'tacit' or 'understood', the discreet way it is approached or the specific meaning artists give it.
Current trends in contemporary art show a clear interest in sound and music. With Implicit Sound, Espai 13 at the Fundació Joan Miró is keen to reflect this general interest and add a fresh touch which we think defines a certain trend in up-and-coming contemporary art.
Marcus Coates (London, 1968) is one of the most original artists to come out of the United Kingdom in recent years – an eccentric Englishman of the kind we thought had become extinct. Interested in ornithology, zoology and anthropology, through his films and performances, Coates takes audiences on a dark journey full of humour.
The works of Michael Sailstorfer are experiments especially designed to answer a unique question: what can be a sculpture? Sonar, the work devised for Espai 13, is the result of the experiment of breaking a glass windowpane using a sound signal.
For his exhibition at Espai 13, João Onofre has created Untitled(Original orchestrated ersatz light version), a video that continues his exhaustive research into performance, this time using a highly sophisticated piece of interpretative art.
