Los Angeles–based artist Fiona Connor often uses strategies of repetition and replication to produce objects that draw attention to their own material forms as well as to the layered social histories and relationships embodied in architectural structures and the built environment. Among other types of everyday objects that are typically overlooked, she has remade in high fidelity community noticeboards, park benches, doors of closed down clubs, real estate signs, and municipal water fountains, and re-presented them within the space of art institutions.

In this film, Connor speaks about an identical set of bronze objects that were displayed in two different exhibitions that overlapped in time: Closed for installation, Fiona Connor, SculptureCenter, #4, held at the SculptureCenter, New York, from April 29 – July 29, 2019; and #8, Closed for Installation, Sequence of Events, held at the Secession, Vienna, from June 27 – September 1, 2019. For these works, Connor reproduced objects that represent a lingua franca of tools used for the installation of art exhibitions—including a measuring tape, hammer, drill, dolly, stool, and water bottle—and contextualized them within their respective exhibition situations so as to bring into view aspects of each institution’s specific site as well as how value is produced within the exhibitionary art system through practices of labor, maintenance, and collective participation.

Fiona Connor (born in Auckland, New Zealand) is an artist based in Los Angeles. Recent solo exhibitions include #8, Closed for Installation, Sequence of Events, Secession, Vienna (2019); Closed for installation, Fiona Connor, SculptureCenter, #4, SculptureCenter, New York (2019); Closed Down Clubs, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Mackey Apartments, Los Angeles (2018); Object Classrooms, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, New Zealand (2018); Wallworks, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne (2014); Untitled (Mural Design), Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin (2012); Murals and Print, Various Small Fires, Los Angeles (2012); Reading the map while driving, CalArts, Los Angeles (2011); Something Transparent (please go round the back), Michael Lett, Auckland (2009); and Notes on the half the page, Gambia Castle, Auckland (2008).

Her work has been shown in group exhibitions internationally, including Bureau of Unspecified Services (B.U.S.), SALT Galata, Istanbul (2018); Chicago Architecture Biennial (2017); TL;DR, ARTSPACE, Auckland (2014); Made in L.A. 2012, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; The Experimental Impulse, REDCAT, Los Angeles (2011); Prospect: New Zealand Art Now, City Gallery, Wellington (2011); De-Building, Christchurch Art Gallery, Christchurch (2011); On Forgery: is one thing better than another?, LAXART, Los Angeles (2011); and NEW10, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Melbourne (2010). She has been involved with various artist-run spaces, including the Varese Group, an annual symposium of artists, designers, and writers.

Connor received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts and a BFA from the University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts.

Crew Credits -

Production:
Creator and Executive Producer - Hernan Diaz Alonso
Producers - Marcelyn Gow/Reza Monahan
Segment Producer - Kavior Moon
Director - Reza Monahan
Director of Photography - Lauren Murphy/Sean Morris
B Camera - Tyler Marchewski/Robert Moreno
C-Camera - Walker Sayen/John Keifer
Sound Engineer - Pablo Gho/David Dadon

Post-Production:
Story Producer - Kavior Moon
Editors - Ben Neufeld/Sean Morris/Reza Monahan

Soundtrack by: Sara Johanne and Jason Breeden

Additional Images courtesy of Fiona Connor

Special thanks to SculptureCenter

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