AMSTERDAM.- Galerie Gabriel Rolt is presenting 'Light as Matter', Children of the Light's first solo exhibition at the gallery.
As the title of the exhibition already discloses, light is treated by the artist duo as true, tactile matter. Instead of merely illuminating the surroundings, decorating the space or alluding to other transcendental dimensions, light is here a concrete presence on itself. The phenomenological materialization of shapes and forms happens through light, which instead of being perceived solely as an instrument, is now the only, main protagonist. The concrete presence of the installations in the space is what gives meaning to it, transforming the surrounding and the way of perceiving it in something completely new. This specific approach towards light results in a certain tangibility: Children of the light’s installations seem to invite the viewer to explore them physically, touching them and moving around them as they were true tree-dimensional sculptures.
Another important aspect of the works is that the material presence of light is linked to the concept of absence: while being clearly visible in the space, light is also the result of our optical perception, remaining, partly, an illusion. The deceptive way in which our brain tricks us to perceive light and its different transformations is a core aspect of the duo’s experimentation, together with the interest in natural elements: Warping Halos, for instance, is the result of the research towards the natural phenomenon of the halo, a circle of white or colored light around a luminous object that is caused by refraction through ice crystals in the atmosphere, also known as diamond dust. Inspired by the sun, Warping halos is the duo’s first experiment with color, and marks a new chapter in Children of the Light’s artistic path.
The interplay between optical perception and reality, presence and absence is what characterizes Children of the light’s works, stimulating the viewer to personally feel this dichotomy. This accent on the viewer’s experience is another pivotal aspect of the duo’s experimentation, but instead of asking for a cognitive understanding, the installations inspire a playful, almost naive exploration of the element of light. The fascination between what light concretely is and the way it can trick our bodily senses is approached in a delicate yet cheerful way, prompted by a youthful and pure enthusiasm towards light and its incredible wonder. As the name of the artist duo suggests, we all are like children, immersed in the vastness of normal, everyday’s light but also continuously astonished in front of its spectacular, never-ending possibilities.
Warping Halos is complemented with a Soundscape by Huerco S.
Children of the Light is the collaboration of Amsterdam-based visual artists Christopher Gabriel (1980 Oslo) and Arnout Hulskamp (1978 Amsterdam). Gabriel and Hulskamp met at the progressive nightclub TrouwAmsterdam, where they both had a residency. As a duo they tend to both entrance and mystify the public, creating abstract and highly spherical scenographies and installations.
After the DARKSIDE 2014 World Tour, Children of the Light toured with their live scenography for HOWLING. In the last years their work has been on show at the New Institute, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, GlowNext, TodaysArt Den Haag and TodaysArt Japan, Day for Night Houston and STRP Biënnale, Eindhoven. Currently Children of the Light have their studio at De School Amsterdam, where they have a long term residency.
