Exhibition: ‘Elemental’ by Studio Drift at Amos Rex
In an interview with Studio Drift last year, founders Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta told us how they interest with science fiction inspired hi-tech developments and nature became one of the central axes of their practice.
‘From our childhood, we have been fascinated how in nature (Lonneke) and science fiction (Ralph) solutions can be discovered that tell us that we are more part of the natural system then we often realise. How we behave, make choices, what we develop, what we make, what drives us and why we feel certain things, are very much reflected in everything that we consider nature around us.’
Earlier this year during the inaugural Frieze Los Angeles in February Studio Drift presented a new series of works, Materialism, an ongoing research project in which they explore the everyday ‘made objects’ that surround us. For Materialism Studio Drift has deconstructed everyday products (such a vacuum cleaner, automobile, pencil, and bicycle), ‘to the exact quantity of the specific raw materials which comprise them, shown in the form of blocks to confront the viewer on a very elementary level with the objects that surround them’, they said. Taking inspiration from the earliest works of Abstract art such as the paintings of Kazimir Malevich, Hilma af Klint, and Piet Mondrian, the purpose of Materialism is to make the essential nature of the world visible by creating ‘uniqueness, unity, and ‘de-abstraction’ simple geometric blocks to make clear how much of the matter within these objects are extracted from the earth.’
Materialism was first shown at Studio Drift’s solo exhibition at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in 2018 and until 19 May 2019 is part of the solo exhibition Elemental at Amos Rex, the new contemporary art museum of Helsinki. Comprising film, sculpture and installations, the exhibition explores the basic premise from which all living beings operate: single entities attaching themselves to larger contexts. The centrepiece of the exhibition is the premiere of a new, larger Drifter, a utopian vision of a concrete monolith floating silently towards an unknown destination. Other works on show are a large Fragile Future 3 installation, new Materialism works.
Text by CLOT Magazine (Twitter @clotmagazine)
