Arbit City
Oil Gargles
March 15, 2018–April 14, 2018The Breeder, Athens
THE BREEDER is pleased to present the exhibition Oil Gargles by Arbit City. In addition to the show Arbit City have created the site specific installation In Search of Happiness for THE BREEDER Skin in the façade of the gallery.
Learning how to fire-breath can be tricky, as one might swallow the oil in the process. With Oil Gargles Arbit City swallow the bitter truth before spitting it spectacularly back out.
Highlighting the dominant role of Greek Shippers in the international naval industry, Arbit City bring together facts and fiction, myths and polemic elements, medieval emblems and contemporary seascapes. Greek mythology and folklore, Sirens and Bacchus, deities and demons, colliding tankers and near extinct narwhal whales construct the narration through which Arbit City express the competition and polemics in the maritime world. They look into the rivalry that took over the lives of the biggest tycoons in the industry transcending boundaries of business and pleasure to extend to legendary proportions and further to contemporary culture and public space.
In Search of Happiness consists of a grid of maritime signal flags, that merges the universe of naval communications with flashy quotes for the public space. Placed on sculpturally made poles and bases and installed on the facade of the building, it uses the flamboyant stature of the flag in contrast with the environment of the area.
Each of the selected phrases stands for a contemporary pathogeny of the Athenian – and furthermore the Greek – environment, with regards to public dialogue or its absence.
Arbit City is a visual artists group which focuses mainly on issues relating to public space, to the collective unconscious and lately, to private institution strategies. It was formed in Athens in 2011.
