"An Incomplete Collection of Impossible Projects" Gallery Opening

Event Start Date: November 15, 2024 5:00 PM
Event End Date: November 15, 2024 7:00 PM

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An Incomplete Collection of Impossible Projects
Gallery Opening
November 15, 2024 | 5 - 7 pm | Gary R. Libby University Gallery

An Incomplete Collection of Impossible Projects is the result of a course delivered by artist Eduardo Abaroa to a diverse group of UF students. The artist asked each student to imagine a project that they thought was impossible to conclude. Abaroa designed a dynamic exhibition space to display the impossible projects conceived by the group.

Project guidelines

• Each artist has to imagine an impossible project. Among other possibilities, it can be something fantastic, imaginary, something technically unfeasible, a poetic idea.
• Even if a project can not actually be constructed or achieved, a plan can still be imagined to communicate it. The challenge is to make each project visible to other people simulating their imagination via models, props, drawings, videos, text, etc.
• Ask important questions: What is the project, exactly? Why is it impossible to make? How would we do it? Why would we do it? Why wouldn´t we do it?
• A project may be impossible to complete, but investigating this failure can reveal many things about our lives, fears, hopes, mistakes, and certainties. Some projects are simply too ambitious, others are real technical challenges to human civilizations. We will find examples of poetry, unfettered intellectual ambition, or fantasy.

About the exhibit

Eduardo Abaroa and the group of artists devised a wooden polymorphic structure to display the 14 projects resulting from the course. The irregular structure alludes to an evolving discussion, which may turn in unexpected directions, reach dead ends, or piled up without apparent reason. Artistic discussion can be thought of as a particular material itself.

We consider the exhibition space as a medium that demands a constant reflection of its boundaries. For example: Who is the spectator? Who is the artist? That is why we have an “Impossible Projects” depository. Visitors to the show are invited to write down their own impossible projects using the Impossible Project Request Form and then put it in the available Impossible Projects deposit. After the exhibition opens, we will select some of these projects to visualize them in a similar way that we produced our pieces.

This exhibition is possible thanks to the generous support from CLAS and the School of Art + Art History (SA+AH), University of Florida, Gainesville. We are especially thankful to Carlos de la Torre, director of CLAS, for his support and visionary understanding of the importance of cultural manifestations of, from and in Latin America contemporary artistic practices. Eduardo Abaroa is the Kislak Family Foundation Artist in Residence at the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS).

Parking info

Daytime Parking
There are 3 reserved gallery parking spots located in the lot just east of Reid Hall. From SW 13th Street, enter campus via Museum Road, then take the first right into the Orange decal parking lot and follow the lot until it dead-ends. The gallery spots can be found on the right, facing SW 13th Street. A temporary (one-day) parking pass can be retrieved from the Gary R. Libby University Gallery. Parking restrictions for this lot are lifted at 4:30pm.

Reception Parking
The closest parking to the Gary R. Libby University Gallery is the lot behind (to the west of) Tigert Hall. From University Avenue, enter campus via Buckman Drive and turn left onto Union Road. Follow Union Road through the 4-way stop. The parking lot entrance is on the right just past Walker Hall. Parking restrictions for this lot are lifted at 5:30pm.

For more information, please contact the University Gallery at (352) 273-3000 or visit our website at www.arts.ufl.edu/galleries