Amalia Pica: please listen hurry others speak better

The catalogue please listen hurry others speak better accompanies solo exhibitions by Amalia Pica at three venues: ears to speak at The Power Plant in Toronto and please open hurry at the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, and Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. Two threads in Pica’s practice are brought together: communication between humans and exchange between species. The artist raises questions of mutual understanding through constructing forums that address shared experience. Illustrations of primate and human social models and interpersonal communication in the publication are accompanied by documentation of performances that enact social hierarchies and animal-language studies. Volker Sommer writes about his work on animal rights and the initiative to establish a “community of equals,” and Filipa Ramos reflects on primate anthropologists Jane Goodall and Gregory Bateson. A conversation between Carolin Köchling and Pica considers her artistic practice, and Eugenio Viola and Pica discuss the performative element of the artworks.