Imprecision: The Aesthetics of Failure News from the School of Art, Architecture and Design

Postgraduate Fine Art alumna Claire Zakiewicz announces solo exhibition during Venice Biennale.

Date: 7 May 2019

Claire Zakiewicz, an alumna of MA by Project at The Cass, will be exhibiting at an offsite project during the opening month of the 58th Venice Biennale in May 2019. IMPRECISION: The Aesthetics of Failure at ARTI3160 Gallery will feature new works by Claire Zakiewicz and a curated programme of performances by the artist.

IMPRECISION: The Aesthetics of Failure examines the tensions between failure and perfection: the techniques, limitations and the implications. "In my drawings, I've noticed that aiming for something ugly can produce beauty. Failure creates new pathways; it disrupts prescribed patterns," says Zakiewicz. "Drawing blindfolded with one’s attention on something other than the drawing, almost, always produces a quality of line, unity and balance of shapes - even - or more prominently, as control moves further away." 

Zakiewicz asks: What is failure? How does failure relate to imperfection? We often think of failure as the opposite of success, however, in many ways, failure can be associated with eliminating expectation or a state of not "consciously" aiming for pure perfection. Embracing "failure" per se can often lead to a more balanced symmetry. So, is failure the resolution? 

The exhibition will feature a new body of breath and observational drawings that translate the topography and architectural structures - line, form and symmetry, found in the distinct cities of New York, Venice and London, which are places the artist has been working between. Often influenced by the sounds and gestures found in each city, in this series, each line represents a fluctuation in rhythm and density, becoming a geographical typography that visualizes both kinesthetic and sonic movement. Zakiewicz examines the complexities and differences between drawing from direct observation, memory, the imagination and from a prescribed pattern.

The gallery will transform into a complete-interactive submersion of meditations in space - breath, stroke and gesture. “I layered each composition responding to various sounds, notations, and other drawing methods relating to duration. The durational aspect of each drawing is created by the connection between the brush stroke and the attention to breath,” says Zakiewicz.

The official opening on May 11, 2019 will also feature an exclusive performance by British writer and performer Dannie-Lu Carr, who will be reciting a series of poems dedicated to “imprecision- the aesthetics of failure.” In conversation, New York-based artist Hector Canonge will be performing during the finassage on May 30, 2019. Both performances will commence at 7pm.

Claire Zakiewicz is a British multi-media artist working in New York and London. Recently named one of New York’s “Top Ten Artists Working Today” by Art511 magazine, Zakiewicz’s practice examines the physical and metaphorical relationships between sound and drawing. It is a scientific and philosophical practice-based enquiry - thinking through making. Her animated films have been shown at Tate Tanks and Tate Modern (London) in the exhibitions Tweet Me Up, 2012 and Label, 2012. Zakiewicz has exhibited regularly throughout the UK, USA, Italy and Norway and has produced and performed in numerous productions and international institutions.

Zakiewicz studied Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art, London and Cambridge College of Art, prior to completing a research-based MFA at The Cass. Her research predominantly examines how the body experiences the world and how we conceptualize and perceive objects, frames, repetition and embodied patterns.

Image: Courtesy of Artist