Overview

June 2018
Commissioned by The Second Yinchuan Biennale: Starting from the Desert, Ecologies on the Edge, 2018
Curated by Marco Scotini
Costumes Designed by Tanya Fadte
Photography by Galleria Continua

“Below are the waves, above are the clouds. The line in between, the horizon, takes its name from the root of the Ancient Greek verb ὁρίζω (orizō), which means to divide, and of the noun ὅρος (oros), which stands for boundary, or landmark. Marking the point where landscape disappears falling behind the curvature of the earth, the horizon is the only visible border for someone looking at the open sea, one that can only be contemplated and never be crossed.”

Tracing the line of the horizon is the gesture that marks the beginning of Fire Water. Fire Water is a six hours long live performance that involves making a large charcoal drawing of the open sea in charcoal and pastel on the walls of Museum of Contemporary Art Yinchuan. Nikhil Chopra will be present, during this time, in the persona of Will; an explorer, adventurer, draughtsman, flaneur and gentleman. While Will is short for William it also eludes to will power, desire and determination.

“An image of the open sea is a carrier of potent symbolic references, to journeys, to frontiers, and to possible coexistence. It is the image of a threshold that seduces with promises of an greater knowledge, or of a more prosperous future, but also one evocative of invasions and conflicts. The image of the open sea might well resonate with the history of a perpetual migration, of people, goods, and cultures. The open sea with no land in sight is a disconcerting one; am I lost? Do I see land? Will Will make it? Will he survive the ordeal and come out stronger from it?”

– Michelangelo Corsaro (extract from the essay ‘Below are the waves, above are the clouds’)