Exhibitions’ Ruins

Exhibitions’ ruins / Emotional Landscapes » is a discursive exhibition on the nature of exhibitions, or rather on what remains of exhibitions; Somehow a necrophagous & cannibal exhibition – not only is this exhibition composed of remains or fragments of exhibitions, but it feeds itself from these.

The artworks are as many autonomous elements that articulate themselves around their past histories, past moments of exhibitions. Assembled, it generates an exhibition constituted of elements that fundamentally belongs to itself, literally creating its support structure.

To use a common analogy, as opposed to the idea of a ghost, here we only deal with a shell, somehow the rests of a decomposing corpse. Here the exhibition is constituted of remains, here only the exhibition remains. An exhibition that becomes the shadow of a corpse, the corpse becoming its’ form. Similar to a constant expectation, this temporary recreation of diverse exhibitions using bribes of the past as as-many fundamental elements for an exhibition to come. Similarly to decomposition being an active process, the artworks that compose the exhibition are as many invitations to engage with the landscape they contributed, and contribute, to form.

These emotional landscapes, these artworks are somehow referent to imaginary (or extinguished) landscapes. These environments emotionally charged refer to the creation of abstract environments, landscaped that reveals themselves as we are presented with them. Illusory as they are personal and mental, these moments characterise all the reactions that we experience when confronted to this temporary grouping of art works (an exhibition) – artworks that constitute an exhibition that embodies itself in the mind of the one who sees it. Each artwork draws a part of the environment of an exhibition, and further more offers an environment in itself.

With artists: Loris Gréaud, Gustaf Metzger, Stefan Brüggeman, Jeremy Millar(with collaboration of Pierre Huyghe, François Morellet, Olivier Mosset, Claude Rutault, M/M (Paris) and Gabríela Friðriksdóttir, Elín Hansdóttir and Birgir Andrésson. Curator of this exhibition is Mathieu Copeland.

This exhibition at Safn is supported by Culturesfrance, the French Embassy in Iceland and British Council.

Exhibitions’ Ruins / Emotional Landscapes
Kurator: Mathieu Copeland

mit Birgir Andresson, Stefan Brüggemann, Gabriela Fridriksdottir, Nicolas Garait, Loris Greaud, Elin Hansdottir, Pierre Huyghe, M/M Paris, Gustav Metzger, Jeremy Millar, François Morellet, Olivier Mosset, Claude Rutault