Tania Pérez Córdova's 'Things in Pause' at Bienal do Mercosul explores objects in transition

Tania Pérez Córdova presented four works titled 'Things in Pause' at the ninth Bienal do Mercosul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The Mexico City-based artist's installations feature borrowed objects temporarily removed from their everyday contexts. One work includes a golden earring belonging to the artist's grandmother, displayed in a triangular metal structure. Other pieces incorporate a sim card embedded in porcelain, a shirtsleeve inserted into pine wood, and a piano key. These objects will be returned to their owners after the exhibition, with buyers required to find replacements if sold. The biennial, titled 'Weather Permitting,' was curated by Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy and her team. Pérez Córdova's work explores how objects commute between contexts, creating what philosopher Michel Serres might call 'quasi-objects' that mediate relationships. The article reflects on the need to focus on art itself amid shifting funding structures and institutional self-obsession. Published in December 2013, the text originated from a symposium at the School of Visual Arts in New York where the author addressed curatorial urgencies.