COPENHAGEN.- NILS STÆRK presents the group exhibition Shifting Views with works by Carlos Amorales, Charlotte Brüel, Dario Escobar, Gardar Eide Einarsson, Jone Kvie, Mads Gamdrup, Rebecca Lindsmyr and Tove Storch.
Shifting Views delves into diverse artistic expressions connected by an exploration of transformative perspectives. Across various mediums, artists navigate the intricate world of layered compositions—be it the visible layers on canvas and sculpture or the metaphorical depths within conceptual frameworks. From deliberate manipulations of perception to symbolic resonances carrying hidden layers of meaning, the works on display open the multifaceted nature of interpretation. The exhibition title serves as both a guide and a conceptual anchor, encouraging viewers to engage with the evolving realm of multiple possibilities. Shifting Views leads us into a space where meaning is shaped by the interweaving of tangible and abstract dynamics, revealing a discourse on the interplay of the visible and non-visible.
Carlos Amorales’ Fragmented Typefaces 1-12 is a series of paintings created by applying multiple layers of oil stick on stenciled canvas, resulting in a unique fusion of typographical text and painting technique. These works showcase irregular patterns derived from encrypted alphabets, intentionally obscuring "readable" prose poems that recount autobiographical events. The deliberate interplay blurs the boundary between legibility and illegibility, presenting a compelling narrative of fragmented meaning within Amorales' artistic exploration.
Beneath the surface, Tove Storch’s sculptures pulsate with constant development, transforming poised structures into anticipation. The tangible objects balance material intelligibility with the force of physical matter, embodying potentiality. Storch acts as both witness and accomplice in this metamorphic process, connecting her installations through a red thread. Explaining bold material combinations and an intuitive, emotive nature, her creations authentically occupy space, revealing meaning and fostering non-verbal understanding with each artistic gesture, whether through addition or subtraction.
Gardar Eide Einarsson's Permanent Green Light continues the artists' exploration of covering the canvas, aligning with his Fluorescent Pink and Stainless Steel series. Emphasizing color as both the "found" element and title, it embodies a spirit of limitless possibilities. The green hue evokes a "green screen," symbolizing an empty space ready for any desired image. Einarsson engages with found materials, contemplating images' role in interpellating individuals. His work explores personal liberty, belonging, and propaganda's impact on ideological systems. Using diverse media, he navigates the tension between personal freedom and societal inscription with deadpan humor, aware of contemporary art's institutional context.
With Sincerely yours, Rebecca Lindsmyr explores diverse facets of the written signature, treating it as both symbolic expression and a bureaucratic, political, and social marker of subjectivity. engaging in a nuanced negotiation between expressivity and readability, Lindsmyr deliberately deconstructs her own gestures, spanning childhood drawings to legal documents, while examining the border between language and art. The work probes the complex relationship between the signature and notions of ‘the self,’ exploring its invocation in painting and its pivotal role as a core signifier of authenticity and value.
Stitched-together leather soccer balls are hanging from the gallery ceiling, forming cloud-like sculptures. The suspended clouds in Dario Escobar's installation prompt reflection on industrial objects, transforming repeated soccer balls into a sculptural configuration reminiscent of supermarket displays. Escobar's exploration extends beyond individual ready-mades, focusing on the collective impact of sporting equipment in contemporary sculpture. This series, rooted in the accumulation of merchandise, serves as a lens for examining globalism and its multinational manifestations through the context of sports.
Jone Kvie's Seven Meteors depicts the artist's exploration of understanding the world and our place in it, delving into the means and limitations of sculpture. His mise-en-scène of objects sparks multiple associations, evoking uncertainty and defying a fixed narrative. The artist examines natural phenomena, including meteors and star clusters, translating them into sculptures that evoke the unknown. Despite inconclusive relationships to source materials, Kvie strives to distill complex concepts into tangible forms. Kvie considers both structural properties and the poetic potential of materials, creating sculptures that transcend immediate presence and explore the intersection of art and science.
Encased in acrylic glass displays, we find the Invisible Sculpture of Charlotte Brüel, meticulously screened in the synthetic plastic case resembling indestructible greenhouses. Brüel's recent works intricately explore the interplay between nature and human influence. Her works evoke elements of absurdism, reminiscent of the theatrical trend that emerged post-1945. Observing her showcases with minimalist, symbol-laden contents, they resemble diminished theatrical scenes. The comparative gaze emphasizes the nonverbal, sensual experience underscoring the works' simple complexity. Brüel's ever-evolving sculptures form a life's work that seamlessly intertwines with life itself, inviting the viewer into a captivating dialogue.
In the intricate realm of color perception, Mads Gamdrup immerses himself in a lifelong exploration, departing from conventional categorizations. Beyond stimulating photoreceptor cells, he delves into colors' memory-triggering power and diverse experiential dimensions. Dark Burnt Sienna explores monochrome color, probing its artistic potential in material and psychological connections. Utilizing raw pigments, Gamdrup transforms color into a tangible substance with abstract qualities, inviting diverse interpretations and expanding visual expression boundaries.
