In-Gallery Draw Winner & Virtual Social Draw Winner Photo ID Prints
5" x 7 " Each
Laser Colour Print on Paper 1/1
Jaspal Birdi, 2020
ACQUIRED by winners - Italy
“Congruence” is a dual reality art giveaway which results in two commission based prizes. 1 winner from the physical gallery, & 1 winner online via social media (Instagram). This project was first exhibited in "Whatever It Takes" at AplusA Gallery in Venice, Italy.
“Congruence“, defined as the quality/state of agreeing, is thus initiated by the compliance of any one individual with my giveaway instructions. In a time where quantity and over-saturation compete to win our gaze, “Congruence” is an attempt to understand and reflect on current limits in social logics, and sustainable connections.
"There is an overabundance of representation of almost anything and anybody: in commercial as well as social media. This avalanche of representation has increased a great deal with digital technologies. That things and people are represented culturally doesn’t mean much, though. It just means that lots of images are floating around, hustling for attention."
— Hito Steyerl, “Duty Free Art”
Congruence is to take place in two realities—physical and virtual—on the same days.
Inside the physical space of a gallery, Congruence takes form with one physical mediator with a clear empty ballot box that fills with white paper ballots over the duration of the exhibition. At the end of the exhibition period, one ballot is hand drawn as the winner from the gallery. Meanwhile, in virtual reality, Congruence takes form as an image on Instagram where instructions and conditions of the giveaway are explained in the caption. Following the instructions, the virtual winner will be randomly selected by a number generator once the submission period is closed.
PRIZE: An original portrait print - 4 passport size photos (2.5 x 2.5 inch), on 5 x 7 inch paper, laser colour print, signed & dated by myself, the artist, on the back. Portrait to be selected by the winner.
💥 G I V E A W A Y C L O S E D - U N T I L N E X T T I M E 🗳
Concept Sketches
Jaspal Birdi, 2020
“… the value is not in the product but in the network; not in gaming or predicting the market but in creating exchange. Most importantly, art is one of the few exchanges that derivative fascists don’t control—yet."
— Hito Steyerl, “Duty Free Art”
Embracing virtual proximity, the byproduct of Congruence is an effort to dislodge dominant ideas around representation. Through the cycle of interactions the value of the trade is in the communication and visibility.
