Cartography of Control
By Bojan Maric
When it comes to the universe or nature, can we really talk of control? Human being have been relying on their developing notion of knowledge in order to understand and practice the way of governing forces we might not truly understand. And, what of it? We have managed to gain control over the vastness of the ocean, travelled to the Moon and harnessed the power of electricity? But what does this control entail? How far can our scientific methods lead us in this quest for control? Find out at Kohn Gallery in the upcoming period…
Kohn Gallery
Kohn Gallery’s activity incorporates contemporary exhibitions and nurture of an art historical continuum (for example, the gallery has hosted Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Boxes, in December 1986 weeks before the artist’s death). Other shows of important New York based artists have included works by Christopher Wool, Kenny Schraf, Mark Tansey and Keith Haring, to name a few. During 2014 we had a chance to see some exciting exhibitions. In spring, the gallery hosted a show by Mark Ryden (read more in The Gay 90’s). During the summer, we had a chance to enjoy the stunning exhibition by Joe Goode (have a look in Flat Screen Nature) as well as the mesmerizing aesthetics of Eddie Martinez (find out more in our text Nomader). This January, we have another inspiring show on our hands…
Troika Art Collective
The Urban Art scene knows a number of very active art duos as well as crews with many members. If you haven’t already, it’s time to meet an inspiring German-French artist trio based in London… Eva Rucki, Conny Freyer and Sebastien Noel have founded the collective eleven years ago and ever since been devoted to the exploration of the horizons of perception. In this regard, the artists question ways of (un)certainty of knowledge and meaning in the postmodern epoch. Troika has been part of numerous exhibitions during the existence of the collective. This year, Troika was selected to present their work Dark Matter at Unlimited, Art Basel.
Cartography of Control
The newest body of work by Troika is an intriguing exploration on who rational thinking and scientific methods have been altering our capabilities to perceive the world. In this regard, the exhibition tries to show how “truth” can be constructed, often between various forms of knowledge… Cartography of Control, thus, addresses notions such as conflict, man made structures, control, rationality/irrationality… This is shown in work such as Cartography of Control, where the manipulation of powerful electric charge embodies itself as a note on trying to control the uncontrollable. Calculating the Universe represents a series of works which deliberate upon notions of chaos and randomness and how they relate to the idea of rules. This series was achieved with meticulous repetitive action of crating seemingly organized patterns out of dice. The Cartography of Control exhibition is open for view in the period between January 10th and February 7th 2015 at Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles.