Fani Parali, ‘AONYX and DREPAN’, 2020
Two gatekeepers call to each other in operatic lip-sync – part of this year’s free display in The Regent’s Park
Two gatekeepers call to each other in operatic lip-sync – part of this year’s free display in The Regent’s Park
Fani Parali, AONYX and DREPAN, 2020
Steel, live performance. Presented by Cooke Latham Gallery
About the Work
Two monumental sculptures and an accompanying performance, AONYX AND DREPAN by Fani Parali was originally commissioned by Southwark Park Galleries. The work is comprised of two steel armatures from which the performers, as hybrid creatures, ‘sing’ to each other. In her work – previously described as ‘lip-sync opera’ – Parali synthesizes voice and sound to create a hauntingly otherworldly musical entity that is then mimed by the performers.
Like Charon traversing the river Styx, Aonyx and Drepan represent gatekeepers guiding the viewer from one temporal zone to the next. Their limbs are exaggerated by life-cast costumes that both restrict and accentuate their movement. Parali’s practice is inspired by ‘Deep Time’, the 18th-century scientific historical scale used to plot vast geological events that are non-anthropocentric in duration. In the ecologically destructive Anthropocene era in which we live, the work is intended as a portal by which to view the vastness of geological time and reflect upon ourselves as guardians of this, our own, brief epoch.
About the Artist
Fani Parali (b. 1983, Thessaloniki; lives and works in London, UK) has a practice that includes sculpture, sound, performance, large-scale painting, drawing and moving image. Notable recent exhibitions include ‘Aonyx and Drepan & The Minders of the Warm’ at Southwark Park Galleries (2020). Her work is currently included in Hayward Galleries touring exhibition ‘Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood’ curated by Hettie Judah (2024).
Frieze Sculpture is in The Regent’s Park, 18 September – 27 October 2024. No booking required, it is free and accessible to all.
Further Information
Frieze Sculpture runs alongside Frieze London and Frieze Masters, 9 – 13 October.
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Digital Guide
Bloomberg Connects is the Official Digital Guide to Frieze Sculpture. The Bloomberg Connects app offers exclusive content including audio guides by Fatos Üstek, Curator of Frieze Sculpture, and the exhibiting artists. To access the Official Digital Guide, search for Bloomberg Connects on Apple Store and Google Play.
Main Image: Fani Parali, AONYX and DREPAN, 2020, Cooke Latham Gallery. Frieze Sculpture 2024.Photo by Linda Nylind. Courtesy of Linda Nylind/ Frieze
