Spiritus
dal 20/6/2003 al 2/8/2003
Segnalato da
20/6/2003
Spiritus
The Douglas Hide Gallery, Dublin
The central theme of the exhibition is the attempt to reach realities beyond the ones with which we are familiar. The artists address themes such as ecstasy, rituals and parallel worlds. In diverse ways the art represents or evokes altered states of consciousness. The displayed works aim to relate to the theme of the exhibition on an associative rather than illustrative level and are both representational and experience based.
The central theme of the exhibition Spiritus is the attempt to reach realities beyond the ones with which we are familiar. The artists address themes such as ecstasy, rituals and parallel worlds. In diverse ways the art represents or evokes altered states of consciousness. The displayed works aim to relate to the theme of the exhibition on an associative rather than illustrative level and are both representational and experience based.
The combination of works aims to visualise and give physical form to phenomena and states that are often invisible. This starting point lies in the historical photographs included in the exhibition. There was a wide interest in séances around the turn of the last century. During séances in this period, some mediums produced ectoplasm as a result of coming in contact with 'other dimensions'. Ectoplasm was supposed to be a physical embodiment or a trace of the spirit world. Spiritus shows photographs representing this and similar experiences.
Spiritus includes artists who are widely recognised, such as Paul Mc Carthy, and newly established artists such as Marine Hugonnier. Some of the artworks included in the exhibition are descriptive and others are interactive. In her video, Sigalit Landau rocks with a hula- hoop made of barbed wire, but like a fakir in trance, Landau seems to have abolished her pain. Dan Graham's video Rock My Religion shows documentary reels of people in ecstasy either triggered by rock music or religious experience. Other works in the exhibition affect the audience physically. Carsten Höller brings the visitor on a virtual walk through a forest. Lying down on Doug Aitken's piece, one feels an amplified sensation of another persons' breathing. Walking around in Ann Veronica Janssens' small space, you unexpectedly lose your sense of direction. These artworks manipulate our perception.
Spiritus is produced by Riksutstallningar [Swedish Travelling Exhibitions] and Magasin 3, Stockholm Konsthall.
Image: Conan Doyle's Return with Mrs. Mary Marshall, 1932, (enlarged detail), black&white photo, courtesy Wm. B. Becker Collection/American Museum of Photography
Gallery 1 and Gallery 2
DHg
The Douglas Hide Gallery
Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
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