They say it'll serve as a great stimulus for couples on a date—while that may be considerably so, the transcending logic and overwhelming beauty presented by Numen / For Use exhibit at Storage by Hyundai Card is too brilliant to go unnoticed.
From March 24th to June 18th, Storage presents Numen / For Use, an artist trio (Sven Jonke, Christoph Katzler, Nikola Radeljkovic) working in the fields of conceptual art, theatre scenography and industrial/spatial design. While comprised of only 3 main works, this powerful presentation and creative study will easily have you leave with a more enlightened perception of space and your physical and metaphysical relationship to it.
The exhibition begins with a mock-up of Void and a video projection of Numen / For Use's previous works. Hinting at the actual scales in which these the trio plays and produces, these images/prototypes allow you a peek at the exhaustive worlds of the artists.
Proceeding to String model 2x2 (2015), a cube structure constructed with clear vinyl and blue strings, is a miniature version of the original balloon-like installation. At its most deflated point, the model is devoid of a volume or space, with all of the strings tangled up and vinyl resting lifelessly; as soon as it begins to get inflated, the sculpture begins to take form with the blue strings serving as a systematically gridded endoskeleton. This whole process can be controlled/manipulated with a tap of a red switch which inflates the balloon into a perfect cube.
The next piece, N-Light Big_Membrane, 2017, could be perceived as an extended version of the conceptual exploration of space. Created with neon lights and flexible spy mirrors, the cube consisting of the piece is expanded and contracted with an air pump. What we are thus able to see through the one-way mirror turns out to be a frighteningly cold, infinite deformation of space within the confinements of a singular cube. It is actually a recreation of the large-scale site-specific scenography for the production of Inferno (by Dante Alighieri). Instead of the usual blazing hot depiction of hell, the trio created something ‘not hot but cold’, to enhance the rather chilling concept of hell.
The last piece of the exhibition entitled Void is sight-specific. With consideration of the specific exhibition space, the artists built an environment suspended by ropes and levers. This ‘hybrid’ installation takes into account the artists' experience in theatrical design and furniture design, making dramatization and construction an important factor for them. Upon looking at the easily understandable mechanics behind the immersed white vortex, you will notice that the notion of form follows function at play; the rational approach to construction creates the aesthetics of the piece. Entering the mouth of the vortex, the intimidatingly white fabric will be adjusted to your body, stretching with every movement you make, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Is this possibly the closest representation of what life in the 4th dimension would feel like? Crawling your way through the reactive tunnel of what may seem like pure emptiness, some rather existential questions may fill your moments. Don’t rush the crawl (and viewing of the whole course, for that matter)—an experience such as this is not readily found in the "real world."