FIAC Paris
Sector Lafayette
Solo presentation with Chert, Berlin
22 – 26 October 2014

Chert gallery is pleased to participate in Fiac 2014 (Lafayette Sector) with a solo show of Swiss-Iranian artist Vanessa Safavi.

The exhibition rotates around the installation My Head is a Box, originally presented at Safavi´s exhibition at Castello di Rivoli (Turin) in 2013.

My Head is a Box is a sculptural sound installation composed of several ancient-looking Anatolian ceramic jars and black plastic bags, scattered on the floor. Fifteen speakers play two soundtracks of “auto-sensory meridian response” (ASMR) sounds, selected and compiled from Youtube and edited by the artist.

ASMR are familiar sounds that are characterized by auditory sensations, more crudely known as “brain orgasms”. The most popular ASMR is the “whispering” sound, which has hundreds of thousands of followers online. The ASMR emergence can be understood as a reaction to the lack of soothing affects in urban environments, which fosters an urge to reconnect with the subconscious mind. The artist believes that these intimate sounds replace those of nature in today’s world, and have been assimilated as familiar in digital communities.

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Born in 1980 in Lausanne, Switzerland, Vanessa Safavi currently lives and works in Berlin.

Recent institutional solo exhibitions include, “Cloud metal cities”, at Kunsthalle São Paulo; “One Torino,” with Santo Tolone and Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Castello di Rivoli, Turin (2013); “If I don´t taste it will melt on your finger”, public commission for the city of Turin, ´Luci d´Artista´, (2013); “Der Tanz,” Atelier Amden, Amden (2013); “Afer the Monument Comes the People,” Back wall installation, Kunsthalle Basel (2012); “I wish Blue could be Water,” CRAC Alsace, Altkirch (2012); and “Les Figures Autonomes,” Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris (2012).