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Aresiritas Etra (born 1978 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish-Spanish artist known for his work in satirical art, performance art, installation art, and writing. A prominent figure in Swedish contemporary art, Etra is recognized for challenging traditional art forms and promoting satire within the artistic community. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts at the University of Barcelona and currently resides in Cambridge, England.

Early Life and Education

Aresiritas completed his primary and secondary education in Sweden. In 1990, he moved to Spain with his father to support his mother during her knee treatment. In 1996, he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Arts at the University of Barcelona, where his studies in painting played a significant role in shaping his artistic vision.

Career

Etra's debut work, In Public (2000), was exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, marking his entry into the realm of public art. Etra’s works are filled with satire and social commentary, directly targeting the contradictions and superficiality within both artistic institutions and the mainstream art world. His art challenges the status quo, revealing the increasing formalism and emptiness in contemporary art.

In 2007, Etra completed the installation Please Don't Call Me Continuously, a significant milestone in his promotion of satirical art. That same year, he released the performance art piece Art Down the Drain, a critique of the superficiality in contemporary art. His 2012 work Fraud was selected as the official poster for the Stockholm Peace Conference, further establishing his reputation as a leading satirical artist.

Artistic Style and Themes

Etra’s works are characterized by his deep skepticism toward conventional art forms, and they often involve audience participation. He excels at immersing himself among the audience during exhibitions, engaging with them about his art. Since no one knows what he looks like, he captures the bewildered expressions of those pretending to understand his work while feeling lost. He then compiles these photographs into albums, which he sells to the audience at the end of the exhibition.

His installations and performances create fabricated scenarios that lure viewers into acts of authority worship, which he uses to expose human gullibility and conformity. Etra has expressed disdain for how people are drawn to complex works they do not fully understand, merely to appear knowledgeable. His satire targets these individuals, as well as opportunistic artists who achieve fame by luck.

Public Persona and Views on Art

Aresiritas Etra is known for his reclusive nature and rarely appears in public or grants interviews. He avoids discussing his personal life, but he is outspoken when it comes to his views on art. Etra is highly critical of the “readymade” trend in contemporary art and the commodification of the art world. In a rare 2000 interview following the exhibition of In Public, Etra remarked, “Artists after the war don't know what they are doing. People seem to be living in the air. Art has become like this too, and it is becoming more and more difficult to explain. Some people make art more complicated, and some people think this is cool and call it artistic."

The Swedish Contemporary Art Association described Etra's work with the following statement: "His works are like jokes you can't laugh at if you truly understand them. Only if your mind is empty will you find his art ‘artistic.’ When you think about going on a date at a gallery, you become the dumbest person in the exhibition." Additionally, Frirsi Monflaus, a well-known sculptor and member of the association, commented, “I can't even go to his exhibitions. I'm always looked like an idiot.”

Etra is protective of his works and refuses to allow them to be photographed or reproduced, believing that his art can only be fully appreciated in person. He has a strong aversion to being labeled as an artist and often uses pseudonyms in social interactions.

Selected Works

• In Public (2000)
• Please Don't Call Me Continuously (2007)
• Art Down the Drain (2007)
• Fraud (2012)
• People you know lie to you (2017)
• Fake exhibition I (2018)
• Fake exhibition II (2020)
• Don't you realize? (2023)

Influence and Legacy

Aresiritas Etra remains a highly influential figure in Swedish satirical art. His work, often controversial, continues to provoke thought and challenge established artistic conventions. Through his installations, performances, and critiques, Etra has carved a unique position for himself in the art world, pushing the boundaries of what is considered art while exposing the pretensions within it.