A necessary metatext for "Humo de Mundo"

by Ana Giselle Robaina Ancízar

"I have committed an irreparable act, I have established a bond." J.L. Borges If we admit to the supposition that there exists an unwritten history behind traditional history and furthermore that this unwritten history not merely constitutes a hidden reference to the, for reasons of inconvenience, unmentionable, but to the unmentionable because of "intranscendent", we shall know what to do with the latest artistic project of Juan Carlos Peirone. Until now the artist has conducted his creative work along paths referring to the most basic and elementary aspects of human trivialities. This time, however, although maintaining anthropological criteria for his conception, he has utilized other means to reach the same goal. In his most recent work, a project in collaboration with gallery owner Anders Tornberg, he offers us the paradox of maintaining his human focus not through the insignificant points of our existence, but by emphasizing elements within the framework of relations of power, relations as we all know constitute supreme motivators for human activities. The quest of the artist in this case has been experimenting at integrating into the group of those who hold power trying at the same time to keep himself even more distant from the subordinate. Twenty five powerful and mighty persons, or more correctly, a score of world power holders where art is concerned, are the "lucky" receivers of Peirone's objects. He himself is however excluded from the context of the objects. In a sort of disguised joke he disrespectfully projects the distribution of his work among the members of the "Club Humo de Mundo" of his own invention, so that without knowing why, some of the most important art critics, collectors, gallery owners and directors of art museums in Europe and America are obliged to receive an object of art which in appearance is just a beautiful gift but at the same time it constitutes an act of violence. The first twenty five of a series of boxes measuring approximately 4x12x17 cm, manufactured from teak wood, containing a little cushion of brown velvet whereupon rests a cigar cast in massive bronze reproducing a Havana cigar of the Coronas type, are launched November 1994. This initial production was distributed among the honorary members of the club: Giuseppe Panza di Biumo, Leo Castelli, Rudi Fuchs, Nicholas Serota, Robert Hughes, Peter Ludwig, among others. Later another twenty seven boxes were produced, two for the founding members of the club and twenty five more, which were put up for sale at the Stockholm Art Fair where the project was presented in March 1995. The completion of these 52 boxes concludes a project of art which attracts attention among other reasons mainly because the series of objects has become a value in itself whether viewed syntagmatically or paradigmatic ally. In this way the work of Peirone constitutes a linear linking process, where each of the boxes is an active element within the series on the basis of the subtle oppositional relationship between the sender and the receiver, but even if each element gains its own value as an active subject of communication, its pertinency to the overall communication is necessary to understand the important global criteria with which the work has been conceived. Every unit in the series, in spite of upholding a shared thematic and formal typology and even being able to reach the status of paradigm in relation to the preceding item, does in fact also integrate a syntagmatic succession from which it cannot exclude itself. However, as we describe each element of the series as a concept of unity, we have to produce an analysis of the artistical object. In fact, these boxes have been conceived as bearers of information, or rather texts, which occasionally give rise to a great variety of expressions. Lets us try to give a semiotic analyse of these texts. In analysing the exterior of the object we find the following signs: "Hecho totalmente a mano" (Entirely handmade), "?Todo bien." (Everything OK) and "Humo de Mundo" (World Smoke). Each of these inscriptions refers to a signification which is realised within the box. Mecho totalmente a mano" is a complementary message which refers to the bottom of ordinary Havana cigar boxes and does not carry further than a general cognizance of the artisanal character of the work. "?Todo bien." is a complementary message which appears on the right side of the box and is used by the artist as a standard phrase or imprecise response to situations of crisis. It constitutes a recurrent code in his work and has the same character as his signature. "Humo de Mundo" is a essential message and appears burnt engraved on the top of the box. It is not only the name of the club, it defines the entire concept of the work. This message, With its notion of universality in its significance, includes for its decodification the dollar?bill which seals the box and which has to be ripped to open it, and also the fragment of a world map which appears numbered and signed by the artist on the inside of the lid, a map fragment which is one of the 52 pieces into which a paper planisphere of the earth has been cut, so that each box contains a piece of the world and together all these parts constitute the total land and sea surface of our planet. This shows that every exterior inscription on the box has its correspondence in the inside where further means are activated to amplify their initial significance. This is a deliberated act of the artist, placing a card with the names of the honorary members of the club, with the technical specifications of the work, and the following text: "The possession of this cigar makes you a member of the club, a decidedly distinguished person. In it, we are the only ones." Juan Carlos Peirone. These messages, basic or complementary in their significance, become verbal traces left ex profeso by the artist to patentize his original and peculiar mode of conceiving and executing an irreparable act, in establishing a relationship. The subtext of this work, imperishable because of the bronze Havana cigar but garantized in its finality by the concept of performance which upholds it, is in fact the purpose of establishing relationships, some fraternal, some of the type of a "liaison dangereuse", with the receivers. All of them have in fact been violently approached. Making them into interacting co?creators of the work the artist is paying them back in their own coin. Their group continuously exercises violence imposing their own taste on others and dictating the rules that dominate the world art market, valuing the works of their favourites and setting the limits of artistic protagonism. Consequently they have to accept this "gift" and there is no other alternative for them than assuming certain risks and responsabilities, among which is responding courteously to Juan Carlos Peirone and Anders Tornberg for the noble gesture of the gift and maybe understanding the joke and return it, declaring them? selves happy with their pertinence to the club and excusing themselves for being incapable of smoking this eternal cigar.

Malmö, April 1995