Statement

Artist Statement

Nothing is as it seems. We are hanging in the balance of extreme scales containing systems and patterns that are too vast or too tiny for us to identify and what appears static may in fact be moving at phenomenal speed. All that we perceive (any visible object) or don’t perceive (microscopic things) is built by the same limited number of minute building blocks (e.g. atoms), where the identity of these things essentially relies on the relative position and relationship of these atoms with one another. Reality becomes something a lot more fluid and encompassing, where location and relationship in space and time are at its chore.

In my art practice, this understanding has led me to give temporal value great consideration. As such, I favour certain materials over others and make processes an essential part of my work. I also seek to delay recognition of the material to draw the attention of the viewer and engage them in the process of looking but also as a self-reminder that the identity of an object is more fluid than the perceived solid evidence would suggest.

The outcome, the created form, mostly characterised by lightness and transparency, does not carry a specific meaning but is the expression of my ongoing exploration and interest. It hopefully somehow resonates with the idea that I seek to explore. It may translate into an abstract system or geometric representation, sometimes architectural, sometimes more organic but always open to interpretation.

It can equally be displayed on walls and plinths or suspended from the ceiling. The scale of the work is variable. However, in an attempt to draw the viewer close to the work, I favour clusters of small elements, rather than large scale items. This approach also applies to my drawings, which I often display in a grid form, introducing seemingly empty spaces in between elements.

The importance of the grid in my drawings: The grid has always been an important tool in my work. In astronomy, it is used to illustrate the fabric of spacetime, which either expands or contracts in the presence of matter. In Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, time is woven together with the three dimensions of space, forming a bendy, four-dimensional spacetime continuum, a “block universe” encompassing the entire past, present, and future. As a result, each slice of the block refer to different spacetime coordinates that can be accessed in the present. The weaving aspect also becomes an important consideration.

In my work, I see the grid as the omnipresent matrix that holds the potential of future making. After a drawing is completed, the grid is discarded. Yet, the work follows its footprint and, as such, forever holds its essence. The two layers (grid and work) encapsulate past and future in a fluid now, depending on which layer the viewer is observing from. On a more literal level, the repeated patterns, emerging from the grid, take up a predictable amount of time in the making: The ink on the surface of the paper becomes a transcript of duration where space and time are intimately interwoven.

My drawings are mostly abstract compositions akin to non-verbal reasoning puzzles. They invite the viewer into decrypting an algorithm.

The importance of shadows in my 3-dimensional assemblages: The forms, mostly characterised by physical lightness and transparency, invite the viewer to peer through the space and study material and process as well as the projected shadows on adjacent surfaces. These move with the time of day or with the direction of the spotlight in space. A space that not only carries the air we are breathing in this instant but also the light of our sun that took 8 minutes to reach us as well as the starlight that may be millions of years old. Shadows are evidence of temporal and spatial dimensions.

Both past and present are part of these hollow forms where space is neither negative nor positive. Following the basic aesthetics of the line, the material may even suggest non-sensical three-dimensional scribbles. There is however a consistent rigorous pursuit for visual balance between space and matter, as well as a search for parity of importance between materials which allow the form to exist. This is based on my belief that there is a fundamental order of things, which allows our world to be.