'Incomplete' is a form of existence. In spite of the insistent impulse to look towards that which we consider to be finished, complete or achieved, we have to accept that art, experience and stories are always partial and subjective. It is also true for the development of an art collection. Especially in this current times, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted social contact, we had to make modifications and explore new forms of interaction. Inevitably, a series of questions arose around the development of the collection: how do we overcome physical barriers? how do we reach art if our presence is limited? how can we convey the essence of the real people who make up this collection and are part of Balanz?
This break in space and time challenged us, and we began a path towards a dual action solution: closing and opening. While, for obvious reasons, the collection was no longer able to receive visitors and interact on a daily basis with those who used to come to the offices in person, it was also clear that we had to find new perspectives. This website is the opening that seeks to challenge us to explore new paths, to break patterns. That is why, in this virtual gathering, we expose ourselves in the flesh to a dialogue that we had not yet engaged in with artists, curators, critics and spectators.
Our idea is that this space will function as a living organism, where we seek to reproduce what we feel when living with the collection – to develop a network of images, texts and views that reflect our concerns and the social and conceptual materials this collection is made of. With the same spirit of freedom that has accompanied us since we began this project, we intend to regularly invite collaborators to observe and analyze us with a clean and clear instruction: there is no instruction.
With all the time that the pandemic gave us, we were able to rethink the placement of each of these pieces in order to share them. We decided to choose groups – sections of the collection – to reconfigure our archive, now virtually. At the same time, we were open to all proposals that could nourish the reproduction of meanings. This unique circumstance allows us to go beyond the works and take advantage of what these new platforms can offer us in terms of content creation, understanding how these new tools work, and making ourselves available to information resources, such as professionals in the field and art-curious people.