22 Octobre 2020
« A Fair Share of Utopia » is an exhibition available at the Nest Gallery in The Hague from September 3rd to November 22nd. Half of the exhibition is presented in Nest Gallery, and the other part in CBK Zuidoost in Amsterdam.
The exhibition gathers ideas for a futuristic utopia, based on the Michelle Alexander’s book What if We’re All Coming Back? Inspired by ancient cultures, artists created artworks that interrogate the future, and in particular our relation to each other and with the nature.
In Nest Gallery are presented statues of creatures, familiar to the human kind but not completely. Them and another fantastic and colorful painting were made by Simphiwe Ndzube. He is a South African artist who likes to talk about colonialism, power, repression, violence, but also strength, dignity and the battle for human rights. As always, his artworks are working together because he thought to a special composition. The painting and the statues really create together a particular atmosphere, and the strange statues made me uncomfortable. They made me think to one of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris’ previous exhibition « Futur, Ancien, Fugitif » (« Future, Ancient, Fugitive »). Madison Bycroft also creates sculptures related to imaginary and scary creatures. However, I liked the power Simphiwe Ndzube has on the spectator, which doesn’t stay insensitive.
Artworks in the pace, but also installations were invented by the artists. I Should Love You More Than Pizza is a gigantic cardboard installation by Raul Balai, imitating the inside of a church. The farmers, the mineworkers and the transporters among others should be as respected as Jesus Christ when they die from exploitation of the consumer society. The public is invited to enter this place and to put a candle in front of the image of three everyday heroes. A Garden Of Coincidences by Müge Yilmaz is a wood shelter inspired by a Turkish temple. Following the tradition of this ancient people, we can sit in the inside of this 1.20m shack on tree stamp. The meaning of this art installation is bringing back everyone at equality. Müge Yilmaz’s art is centered on feminism and ecology, but also as in this work, on social relations.
BUNYIP: wiray ngaay ngaay gir-nya-la-nha (don’t just look and talk) is an impressive inflatable sculpture by Brook Andrew. If I liked the others installations, I didn’t quite understand it. The mythical being bunyip in Wiradjuri from whom Brook Andrew is a descendant is the result of his fight for minorities and for recognition of ancient cultures. However, I found that the graphic sings were not appropriate to this meaning, which looks so modern for the artist’s message. There was also a video about colonialism, but I don’t remember the creator of it. I wonder if it’s not also from Brook Andrew.
If it had been possible, I would had like to visit the rest of the exhibition in Amsterdam, but the few artworks presented in Nest are a first example of what to expect.
@Esther - 22/10/2020