Abstract Possible. Malmö Konsthalle, Malmo, SW. 10 November 2010 16, January 2011. Artists: Doug Ashford, Claire Barclay, Goldon+Senneby, Wade Guyton, Mai-Thu Perret.
From the press release:
Abstract Possible is a research project which aims at exploring notions of abstraction, taking contemporary art as its starting point. Clandestine, opaque, hermetic and abstract are all buzzwords frequently used in discussions of contemporary art over the last decade. A plethora of examples of formal abstraction, both geometric and expressive, is visible in exhibitions, site-specific installations, publications, and other projects. In addition to the many cases where geometric abstraction in art and design becomes a lifestyle indicator, artists contemplate and engage with the legacy of modernist abstraction as the result of highly specific artistic and ideological trajectories. But what does it mean to revisit these trajectories from the point of view of today? The concept of abstraction has also, within a Marxist framework – been applied to all relations within a capitalist system. As of late, this has been extended to the logic and distortion of scale engendered by the post-Fordist/late capitalist economy. Working conditions, and conditions of production, are other pertinent points of reference here. All this is happening within a culture and an economy in which we literally “live under abstraction,” although the economic recession has more recently called such abstraction into relief. Or as the art critic and theoretician Sven Lutticken recently put it “We are the natives of abstraction.”
Perhaps we can begin to think of these abstract/opaque strategies and tactics as a different critical paradigm challenging the enlightenment paradigm based on transparency? Or is it yet another phenomenon obscuring our view of the world? Each stage, or station, of Abstract Possible will be different with unique “sub-projects” which can be manifested as group shows, solo presentations, seminars, workshops, screenings, etc., depending on the nature of the location and the collaborations.
Curated by Maria Lind_(link)
Poster_(link)
Exhibition archive_ (link)
