PUDDLES & POURS

March 18 - May 7 2016

Galleri Nicolai Wallner is pleased to present PUDDLES & POURS, an exhibition of new works by A Kassen. This solo show marks the group’s second at the gallery.

In an exploration of the space in between the intentional, the accidental and the unexpected, A Kassen challenge us to reexamine our understanding of every day life, and the perceptions that we hold about the objects and phenomenon included in it. Their subtle transformations and re- appropriations alter context and meaning, opening up a dialogue on what constitutes an object, and furthermore on what constitutes a work of art.

Tongue in cheek, the show opens with Mural (Stain). Almost as if it were something used during the planning of the show, a printed picture of the gallery space is framed and hung on the wall. A spill resulting in a stain marks part of the image, and as you walk through the exhibition you can see that an identical stain can be found on the exact location as it did in the picture, almost as if it the original picture included it. Whether to nor the stain was intended is left open by A Kassen, but by transferring it on the wall, it brings it into another kind of existence, creating something which demands our attention.

The idea of contextual alterations continue with the Puddle works. Casting puddles in aluminium, A Kassen take something that is quite mundane and give it a sense of elegant permanence. What was once fluid and temporary is given weight and a sense of purpose, giving us a chance to reexamine aspects of them that have been obscured or overlooked, making something extraordinary from something that has no intent in the real world.

In the final room, two bronze sculptures stand on the floor. Their random and abstract shape is created as hot, liquid bronze is poured into water, creating an unpredictable reaction which cannot be controlled. These forms are cast again in bronze, creating a double effect that underlines the natural properties of the metal which make the work possible in the first place.

There is a beauty in taking that which we least expect, and being able to frame it in a way that changes our understanding of its content while preserving its original reference. By asking us to focus our attention on these phenomenon, A Kassen are able to give them a value which they did not possess before.

Collaborating since 2004, A Kassen have shown extensively in North America and Europe, with notable shows at the National Gallery of Iceland (Reykjavik) and Den Frie (Copenhagen). They have also participated in exhibitions at ARTIPELAG (Gustavsberg), UMOCA (Salt Lake City), Lunds Konsthall (Lund), KØS (Køge), Museum of Mexico City (Mexico City), Charlottenborg (Copenhagen), and GL Strand (Copenhagen) among many others. This summer, they will open a solo at Sorø Kunstmuseum (Sorø), and will debut a large-scale public work in the harbour of Aarhus later this year.

carrie emberlyn