“To gamble go to the City, to nuclear gamble try Unit 2”.
Someone who has been labelled as an artist but has actually done much more in public light presents two new but contrasting works. Peter Fend’s BET AND WIN portrays geopolitical contests in ‘defined zones of conflict’. These zones are: ‘Europe’, ‘Africa’, ‘The Americas’, ‘East Asia’, ‘The Arabian Peninsular’, ‘Korea’ and ‘The Arctic’. Each zone is represented as a map which happen to fit within a trapezoidal football field.
For Peter Fend, the world is a stage for action. His résumé demonstrates this and he will practice it starting this June 2008, with projects sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Peter Fend says that art is not enough. The world as a stage needs more. Indications were shown by Fend at the Sharjah Biennial and a show at Galerie Christian Nagel in Berlin, titled ‘Parallel Projects – Proposals for Condoleezza Rice’.
The second and perhaps more hopeful part of BET AND WIN is the work called ‘WAY OUT TOO’ but with the slogan “Where Russian and US giant submarine designs are finally put to use”. This project, targeted towards the United Nations Environment Programme exhibition series, starting in June 2008, breaks away from the ‘defined zones of conflict’ to propose an ecological unit. This unit connects to the Arctic and Antarctic with the basins of the Atlantic Ocean. The threat addressed is less one of geopolitics than of global warming.
We do not know precisely what will be shown starting on 30th November 2007 because upcoming events will decide. However, with the Atlantic Corridor, an attempt will be made to launch a three-ocean reversal of global warming.
Will this work? Come and bet…and maybe win.
Peter Fend, 2008.
More +PETER FEND
BET AND WIN Way Out Too
1 December 2007 – 19 January 2008
Unit 2 Gallery, London Metropolitan University