MoMA Presents Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception

Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception, on view at The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 beginning May 8, draws upon MoMA's unique and important collection of work by artist Francis Alÿs (Belgian, b. 1959), who uses poetic and allegorical methods to explore the social realities of political concepts, including the cyclical nature of change in modernizing societies, the urban landscape, and patterns of economic progress. Alÿs's personal, ambulatory explorations of cities form the basis for his practice, through which he compiles extensive documentation reflecting his process, producing complex and diverse bodies of work that include video, painting, performance, drawing, and photography. Organized in collaboration with Alÿs, the presentation at MoMA is conceptually grouped around three major recent acquisitions- Re-enactments (2001), When Faith Moves Mountains (2002), and Rehearsal I (Ensayo I) (1999-2001)-each on view for the first time at the Museum. Using the mechanics of rehearsal and re-enactment in urban environments, Alÿs comments on the politics of public space with both solitary actions and large-scale collaborations, where the culmination of many small acts achieves mythic proportions. Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception is on view at The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 from May 8 to August 1, 2011. The exhibition is organized by Klaus Biesenbach, MoMA's Chief Curator at Large and Director of MoMA PS1; and Cara Starke, Assistant Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art, The Museum of Modern Art.

Francis Alÿs studied architecture in Tournai and Venice before moving to Mexico City in 1986, where he has lived since. While this displacement has provided him with a unique vantage point on the country, Alÿs's awareness of his outsider status is reflected in several of his projects. Alÿs's works frequently begin with an action performed or initiated by him that can be witnessed in real time but also discovered through its documentation after the event. Large-scale installations such as Re-enactments, When Faith Moves Mountains, and Rehearsal I (Ensayo I) contain each of these aspects: the conceptualization and planning of the piece and action, the action itself, the distillation of the action, the video documentation, and the related materials.

Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception
May 8-August 1, 2011
MoMA, The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art Gallery, sixth floor
MoMA PS1, first floor