Daniel Canogar

Sikka Magnum

Abstract:
“Sikka” is a sculptural video installation constructed from used DVDs. This multi-thematic piece was inspired by sikka, the gold coins sewn to clothing dating back to Babylonic times that eventually became the shiny plastic objects we know today as sequins. By projecting the contents of the DVDs back onto their surfaces, the artist continues to investigate new uses for discarded objects as well as his interest in combining the phantasmagorical properties of cinema with its physical elements. In this case, film segments were selected from each of the DVDs for their color, shape and movement value, forming a digital palette from which the final projected loops were constructed. The accompanying self-generated soundtrack is the resulting “accidental composition” created by layering the soundtracks from the actual segments being projected. The final effect is that of an audio-visual mosaic.
Historically, sikka were worn to remind onlookers of the wealth and power of those wearing them, while also evoking the light of the divine. Similarly, the surfaces of the DVDs flash back at us images born from the glamorous world of Hollywood where image is converted to a kind of currency.

Biography:
Daniel Canogar (Madrid, 1964) received an M.A. from NYU and the International Center for Photography in 1990. His work as a visual artist focuses on photography, video, and installation art.
He has created numerous public art pieces in Houston, Brussels, Madrid, Naples, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, among others. He has exhibited in several locations, such as the Reina Sofia Contemporary Art Museum, Madrid; bitforms Gallery, New York; Filomena Soares Gallery, Lisbon; Guy Bärtschi Gallery, Geneva; Mimmo Scognamiglio Artecontemporanea, Milano; the Santa Mónica Art Center, Barcelona; the Alejandro Otero Museum, Caracas; the Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio; the Offenes Kulturhaus Center for Contemporary Art, Linz etc.
His publications include “Ciudades Efímeras: Exposiciones Universales, Espectáculo y Tecnología”, Julio Ollero Editor, Madrid, 1992; “Ingrávidos”, Fundación Telefónica, Madrid, 2003; as well as numerous essays on architecture of the image, contemporary photography, and new media art.