"Anything goes pt. 2"
_______________________________________________________
White and Weiss Contemporary Art
Grösslingová 44-56, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia
29. 7. – 4. 9. 2020
Botond Keresztesi
Nika Kupyrova
Nik Timková
Alex Selmeci & Tomáš Kocka Jusko
Céline Struger
curated by Michal Stolárik
photography by Adam Šakový
”The international exhibition project Anything Goes pt. 2.: Techno ed. is a continuing exploration of current artistic strategies inside Central Europe. The conception targets principles of deformation in form and idea and de(/re)construction with characteristic overlapping of varying visual forms and conceptual sources. For the work of Botond Keresztesi, Nika Kupyrova, Alex Selmeci & Tomáš Kocka Jusko, Céline Struger and Nik Timková, a collage approach is characteristic (not in the sense of the traditional collage medium, but rather using principles of choosing elements from varied contexts and then incorporating them into forms that are new in idea and visual forms), appropriation of strange or found materials, and variability of media. (…)”
” (…) The modular sculptures and objects of Céline Struger, hung from the ceiling, evoke the atmosphere of a dystopian land in which we gradually discover and uncover the remains of past cultures. Layered segments, finds, or imaginary scalps symbolizing the accretion of time and scraps of ancient history are lashed boldly to conventions drawn from my- thology and various forms of religion. We see a range of organic or artificial materials, remainders of skeletons, strips of skin, and rusty chains running to the floor – some kind of new stalactites or shamanic relics. The natural formal side of the work, never unnecessarily dressed up, takes inspiration from the growth of bones and exuberance of vegetation, while also drawing attention to the issue of sustainability and the impact of waste on the environment. The original vertical installations comprise small hand-made sculptures and objects Struger makes from ceramics, precious metals and found materials. Her inclination for the materiality of the objects is akin to the thinking of the avant-garde Arte Povera movement, which in the 1960s and 70s in Italy did tribute to an anti-institutional form, and used, cheap, or ephemeral material.
Céline Struger (b. 1982) was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, and currently lives and works in Vienna. She does sculptures and spatial installations characterized by combining various materials and a tendency to the formal and organic. She enjoys working with space and responding to the specifics in an environment.”
Michal Stolárik