The latest installment in the ongoing conversation between the Berlin-based duo Elmgreen & Dragset and the renowned fashion house unfolds in an intriguing manner. Although it doesn’t constitute an official partnership, their most recognized work related to the brand is undoubtedly “Prada Marfa,” a striking permanent installation resembling a Prada store set in the Texas desert. Following this, the artists have continued to showcase their work at Fondazione Prada.
Entitled “The Audience,” the immersive environment designed by Elmgreen & Dragset features a cinema auditorium in the main hall of the space. On the screen, an indistinct scene plays on repeat: a tense chamber drama involving a painter and a writer who navigate their artistic practices, their complicated relationship, and the apathy of their audiences, particularly regarding attention spans. Elmgreen humorously recounts a moment when the writer tells the painter, ‘However, the art audience isn’t the genuine audience!’ “I once read that art audiences average a mere 30 seconds in front of a piece. Can you picture someone reading an entire book in just 30 seconds? Or leaving a cinema after only half a minute?!”
Photography by Stephen James. Courtesy of Prada.
Photography by Stephen James. Courtesy of Prada.
Photography by Stephen James. Courtesy of Prada.
Photography by Stephen James. Courtesy of Prada.
As the film plays out, caught between an abstract expressionist tableau and the impression of a poorly streamed video, viewers can distinctly hear the dialogue of the characters, redirecting focus from any potential sync between sound and visuals to the ambiance around them. Highlighting this are the striking chartreuse velvet chairs, mirroring those from the Fondazione Prada cinema in Milan, where the audience members are seated. The experience takes on an even more surreal quality given that some viewers are not actual people but hyperrealistic sculptures; this amplifies the sensation of entering a screening late, quietly maneuvering past unyielding, silent spectators to find a place to sit.
“Many of our installations explore how audiences move and interact within various institutional environments, and for this piece, we’ve flipped the dynamics of a cinema’s elements,” says Ingar Dragset. “What you’re seeing is a completely obscured scene, reminiscent of a cinematic moment, but it’s been structured in a loop that keeps you guessing when it starts and ends.”
Photography by Stephen James. Courtesy of Prada.
