MONITOR Lisbon has the pleasure to announce And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention, a group exhibition featuring works by Eloísa Ejarque, Wilfredo Prieto, Pedro Ramos, Vanessa Safavi and Belén Uriel. And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention, departs from MONITOR team’s research on the history of our current Lisbon space and its relationship with local commerce, as well as a comprehensive observation of our broad experience as part of an art system and the gallery’s appreciation and goals to observe, research, collaborate and participate with the local art ecosystem.

The space at Rua D. João V 17A was originally a stationary store, later on becoming a book and toy shop. In the past, there was a more direct approach to commerce - so we would like to provoke and question the role of the gallery as a space where artists showcase their preoccupations with the world, inevitably converting them into commodities. While maintaining our role as a commercial gallery, our proposed artists create aesthetically objects that are born from a familiar, recognizable, everyday-object. By reflecting on that we would like to propose an ode to the ambiguity and humor that these ambivalent pieces demonstrate.

Throughout the exhibition space you can find Drinking-objects or portable monuments by Eloísa Ejarque (Lisbon, 1990) scattered all around. These handcrafted drinking glasses, that replicate shapes from fountains found in Lisbon are presented on the opening night, serving white wine, for the viewer to drink, share, and leave it on the gallery space, defining its display during the exhibition time. On the wall, you will find Tap to fountain converter, a unique crafted copper piece that can be adapted to a tap, that observes the current obsolescence of public fountains and spouts as a community and gathering space.

The two sculptures by Cuban conceptual artist Wilfredo Prieto (Sancti Spiritus, 1978) appropriate everyday objects, with his largely humorous approach to object making - the self-explanatory The round ball comes in the square box, and Untitled (Belt), a regular belt, twisted as a Mobius band, a surface with one side only - playfully working on the semiotics of objects. Pedro Ramos (Lives and works in Lisbon), who has been researching on corporate language, advertising and communication develops a site-specific work for the gallery. Ramos came across Auto Impala, a classic car dealership across the street from the gallery, owned by a former car racing star. The store is decorated with photos of cars and races, taken by the owner, that have been reproduced by the artist; mimicking their installation and mirroring them towards the originals. The works by Vanessa Safavi (Lausanne, 1980) create narratives with their visual familiarity and playful approach to materials. The recurrent use of silicone sheets and molds by the artist creates dynamics between its industrial nature and its consequent results as a warm and quasi-organic properties. Belén Uriel (Madrid, 1974) is presenting two unique glass casts which shapes are extracted from two distinct plastic bags. The artist brilliantly works with glass crafting techniques, coloring the glass in order to mimic logos from prominent supermarkets in Portugal - establishing a connection to commerce, mass production, crafts and ecology.