De toi à la surface

On at the snug Plateau gallery until April 10th 2016, ‘De Toi à la Surface’ is a collection of 20 or so works from 12 different artists exploring the notions of intention and subjectivity in art. Entering from all different artistic angles, each piece plays around with the idea that the spectator will subconsciously adapt what they see in order to fit in with their own ideas and biases. The ‘Bouquets’ of Simon Dybbroe Møller (pushchairs, some folded up on a pile of other objects and others put up) may thus be viewed by some as an analogy for the unfurling of the seasons, and by others as a monster in the process of devouring whoever had been perched in its seats. In Barbara Bloom’s ‘Absence-Presence’ (a 360-degree installation of five different stands illuminated against a fabric projection screen), you may view a ghostly abandoned orchestra, a symbolic representation of Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave’, or something else entirely different. This skewing and transcending of the artist’s original intentions is what makes art so special, say the curators, and this charming labyrinthine exhibit is designed to set us thinking about the very process of interpretation.

TRANSLATION: HUW OLIVER