The Copyst
2018
Performance.
A copyist of an Old Masters’ museum paints live a series of oil on canvas’ installation views of a contemporary art exhibition.
Collection Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo – CA2M.
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The Copyist is a performance project that I first developed in 2018. For its initial activation, I invited Román Blázquez, an authorised copyist from the Prado Museum, to paint views of a contemporary art exhibition at the Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo in Madrid. Instead of reproducing old masters, his task was to document the installation of artworks —not with a camera, but through painting.
By shifting this traditional role into the contemporary art context, I aim to open a dialogue between historical modes of representation and today’s exhibition practices, transforming reproduction into a creative and critical act. The project questions the value of the original and its documentation, while highlighting the copyist as a privileged observer and mediator between the exhibition space and the public.
By shifting this traditional role into the contemporary art context, I aim to open a dialogue between historical modes of representation and today’s exhibition practices, transforming reproduction into a creative and critical act. The project questions the value of the original and its documentation, while highlighting the copyist as a privileged observer and mediator between the exhibition space and the public.
Credits:
General installation views of the exhibition The White Cube is Never Empty, MACS - Grand-Hornu (Hornu, 2025). Images: Isabelle Arthuis.
Performer: Daniel Cooreman.
General installation views of the exhibition The White Cube is Never Empty, MACS - Grand-Hornu (Hornu, 2025). Images: Isabelle Arthuis.
Performer: Daniel Cooreman.