Fluxus East

Azorro

Azorro work primarily with the medium of video. One of their major themes is ironic observation of the current hyperventilated art system with all its protagonists: artists, curators, artworks and institutions. This approach is evident, for example, in the works: Portrait with a Curator, End of Art and The Best Gallery (all 2002) or Smart—Stop making Art (2004). In the film We like it a lot (2001), Azorro makes mockery of art discourse by visiting one gallery in Warsaw after another (from the legendary Galeria Foksal, the Centre for Contemporary Art, to the gallery selling ethnic kitsch) and always making the same empty comment on the exhibits – “I like it a lot”. In this way, they practise subtle criticism by means of absolute affirmation. The artists made a statement on the art censorship occurring repeatedly in Poland with Is Artist Allowed to do Anything? (2002); here, minimal and everyday violations of “good behaviour” (like spitting from a bridge, crossing the road despite a red light and saying “shit” out loud) become comments on an art censorship scandal. Azorro employs charming sarcasm to question established norms and motivate its viewers to critical reflection.

Dramatic talent, naive gesture and a sense of the absurd are important elements of their work. Besides the joint actions, each of the four artists is also very successful individually.

A Fluxus-related attitude can be perceived in many works by Azorro. These incorporate an awareness of the “burn-out” of contemporary art: with Everything Has Been Done, they examine the situation of today’s artists, in an age when art has fathomed every possibility already, and followed every conceivable path. But the group’s performative activity, which is usually the outcome of improvisation, also reflects Fluxus and Action Art in general.