The Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

tubes that propel foam into unscripted forms. A series of conversations with Medalla’s long-time collaborator Adam Nankervis reminds us of the central role that free association, play and performance have in Medalla’s practice. There is an underlying erotic nature to this and his other work. The sensuous kinetic form of his bubbles and his impromptu performances and actions are ways in which Medalla connects a more rigid history of sculpture to the latent creative power to be found in everyday life. While Medalla’s work from this period is often read as part of a momentum and history that tests the traditional relationships between object, museum, market and audience, Guy Brett observes how these works also came to represent the infiltration of a broader ‘sphere of social relations and human psychology’. 3 Medalla’s Homage to the Paris Commune – Montmartre Paris is a portrait of the artist with four succulent cherries bursting from his mouth, part of the process of an impromptu performance. The photograph also acts as an homage to the eccentric poet Arthur Rimbaud and his part in the radical Parisian uprising of 1871 when the Prussians entered Paris. The work responds to a very vivid image fromMedalla’s childhood, quoted below, which alongside others derived from different travel experiences, laid the foundations for what would become the bubble machines: During the Second World War I was in my sister’s arms when I saw a young Filipino guerrilla shot by a Japanese soldier. The young guerrilla ran into our garden. The sight of him lying there dying, red blood bubbles foaming from his mouth, made a strong impression on me. Flying over the Grand Canyon on my first trip to America, visiting a soap factory at the bottom of Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseilles, a visit to a brewery in Edinburgh in Scotland: these left deep impressions as well. DAVIDMEDALLA The Philippines/UK b.1942 Homage to the Paris Commune – Montmartre Paris 2013 Documentationofcollaborativeperformance / Photographon linenpaper /50x80cm / Photograph:AdamNankervis /©anothervacant space.,Berlin,2013 / Imagecourtesy:Mondrian FanClub,DavidMedallaandAdamNankervis 34—35 HOW FAR CAN YOU RUNWITH THE WORLD BEHIND YOU?