[+] MARCIA FARQUHAR (UK)
Acts of Clothing: 7up
Seven years and many outfits have passed since Marcia Farquhar’s critically acclaimed Acts of Clothing, in which she introduced a lifetime of her old clothes, modeling them one by one on a purpose-built catwalk. In Acts of Clothing: 7up, Farquhar revisits this seminal performance, dressing, undressing, discussing, and discarding from a long rail of garments from her past and present lives. The social and personal meanings of these articles will be called up and considered. The performance promises to be intense, precarious, and humorous, and is likely to slip from semiotic to sentimental and back again at breakneck speed. The evening will be introduced in Farquhar’s famous flamenco dress. Donned to conjure up her Spanish and Scottish blood, this dress is made of Farquhar tartan. The artist and her dress will both be making their Scottish debut, as she attempts to channel her ancestry in a pair of untutored dances.
Marcia Farquhar’s performances take place in museums, galleries, and site-specific locations. Her practice encompasses painting, object making – from bite size icing sugar spirits to outsize Punch & Judy booths – photography, social engineering, monologue, and script writing. Much of her work has been concerned with the telling and retelling of stories from both private and public areas of experience. All improvisations in her performance work emerge as deviations from pre-developed scripts. She has a background in painting, sculpture, and art history. Most recently, she received an MA (1998) from Stuart Brisley’s department at the Slade School of Art.
‘This was an extraordinary performance, the more exceptional for its agile language, where Farquhar, with the timing of a stand-up comic, could turn her often hilarious anecdotes into unexpected revelations of vulnerability.’ Mark Harris, Art Monthly
photo by Jem Finer