Ten Raised to the Eighty-first Power

Galleri MGM is pleased to open this season with a group show of nine artists. The exhibition is titled after the wall drawing “Everything (A Reference)”, converted from the numerical equation as shown in the work on display, into a syntax of words. It is an attempt to conceptually grasp the notion of the unfathomable, something beyond time and space, including the philosophical aspects of our existence. Calling for the idea of the spiritual, even mystical, the work presents a simple piece of calculation that refers to the astronomical number of currently predicted particles in the universe. Within the outline of this theme, the visitor will find a careful selection of artists whose works range from the invisible, minuscule, obsessive, to the rigid parameters of Modernist painting and the fantastical. As the artist scrupulously re-arranges bits and pieces of text, cut out from books and newspapers, what we see are the empty remains of sheets of paper, like the implosion of an idea. There is the fantastical aspect of the dreamer who revisits the re-occurring places from sleep, using the practice of print-making to multiply the scenes and scenarios, while changing the narrative by hand in each drawing separately. The computer animation by the gambler shows the statistical outcome of his obsession for poker, presenting the visual aesthetics far removed from the rush of such a game, but still conceptually graspable when considering the development of the graphs. On a small table rests the hand of a woman, titled “Certain Things Will Remain Hidden Forever”, carefully modeled in wax and covering a note. Indicating something hidden, it reminds us all of our secrets, our personal memories and unique experiences. Small inkjet prints, packed with detailed facts and sentimental statements, bring us back in time while at the same time hinting to some gruesome unforeseen future, as if foretold by an archangel, simultaneously representing the hopes of the individual and hinting to some unknown force that will crush us all. The installation “Nothing as Something as Nothing at All” picks up on the play of nothingness, only leaving a black spot on the surface of the wall. Large glossy canvases hang in the space and follows the concept of active interaction; these black surfaces reveal glimpses of patterns and words when the visitor moves past. The mirror-like surfaces are attempts to discuss the Modernist idea of rejecting the figure on the square, while simultaneously incorporating the surroundings in a maelstrom of movements and the exhibition reflected. Ultimately, for the exhibition opening on Thursday August 28, there will be a performance called “A Lifetime to Live” which results in a powerful experience for a second only. The performance will not be previewed or re-enacted.