Rotation

The remarkable visual sophistication of Argote's film Rotation is belied by the humor the artist likes to employ when producing work: a chicken rotisserie with three skewers rotates; the rods are filled with chickens but for a globe - an arrangement which seems bizarre if not hideous. However, after consideration, the monotonous movement of the rods, completely at equilibrium, calls to mind the rotation of the planets - with earth in orbit.

Argote: "My main idea was to represent our elementary-school vision of the universe with an object that reproduces the mechanics of the solar system - my abstract idea of the solar system. I found the chicken oven perfect: this chicken-planet roasting and touring around, with no beginning and no end". The absurdity of this spectacle evokes and simultaneously ridicules existential questions. It encapsulates part of surrealism and certainly can be called dadaesque - while being a prime example of how Argote masters the art of combining lightheartedness with art historical narrative in order to challenge world views that have long been taken for granted.

However, according to Argote, there are more layers to Rotation than merely an abstract simplification of the "mechanics of the solar system" - consumerism, climate change, and a strong personal relevance: the artist filmed Rotation in Bogota, his hometown in Columbia, where so-called chicken restaurants are popular and affordable family eateries.

Rotation has been exhibited in numerous shows around the world, side-by-side with some of Argote's most famous pieces. s[edition] is excited to be offering the original work as a digital edition, completely uncut and unedited. Argote: "I wanted to submit a 'real' work, not a picture of a work, or an excerpt. I like the idea of 'democratizing' this work and making it easily collectable." Rotation is not for sale as a physical artwork however, and is only available through seditionart.com.

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You can purchase this artwork from other collectors on Trade.