The research that Froiid has carried out in recent years points to one thing: the notion of game. If we look at his projects carried out since the beginning of the 2010s, we realize that he played with different aspects of the visual arts system such as the art market and the institutional limits of occupying a space. A keyword for his practice is contained in the name he gave to one of his series: pastiche. With his sharp gaze, the artist proposes mockery here, there and everywhere.
This exhibition continues its investigation, but expands it with regard to the use of space and the invitation made to the public; “It’s time for the jaguar to drink water” is, essentially, a coexistence area. It is at least a peculiar coincidence to see a project like this open to the public during a global pandemic – wouldn’t it be an invitation to gather and share objects? If we were facing a traditional pool table, the answer could be yes, but what Froiid proposes is a deformation of the game's conventions where the audience experiences something new both spatially and sonically.
This is one of the provocations of this exhibition that echoes important episodes in the history of art: the public enters the room with the expectation of seeing what is conventionally called “fine art” and discovers that they can not only see, but also play snooker – and without rushing. If the expression “it's time for the jaguar to drink water” is usually associated with tension and climax, from Froiid's perspective, the jaguar friend's time can last as long as she wants. The artist is more interested in echoing an imaginary commonly associated with popular wisdom in Brazil than in transforming snooker into a competition arena. After all, isn't snooker an art too?
In a year like this, with so many masks, outbursts and tragedies in our lives, this room becomes a monument to life and collective leisure – oh how I miss drinking my water at a bar table or in the corners of a snooker table.
Raphael Fonseca
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Froiid. It's time for the jaguar to drink water - Décio Noviello Visual Arts Award, Genesco Murta Gallery, Palácio das Artes, BH- MG
