Shape, Work and Two Fat Bellies - Jiří Thýn
Jiří Thýn welcomes visitors through to the exhibition through a huge cut out of "two bellies", a repeating element of the exhibition. The compositions were multilayered collages of photographic cuts of Alina Szapocznikow's sculptures through adding and deconstructing, layers of cutouts resembling the silhouettes of her sculptures revealed colourful superimposed layers, simple yet poetic.
Thýn built on and decussated the works of Szapocznikow, stating that it is not so much an act of homage and appropriation, but rather recontextualizing them. Yet, it is interesting that "Photography Undone" is the title of the text to this exhibition as "Sculpture Undone" was the name of Szapocznikow's exhibition organized by WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels and Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw back in 2012.
The exhibition featured her works from 1955 - 1972, the years described as her experimental period in which Grand Ventres (1968), the main inspiration of Thýn's works is one of her last works before she is diagnosed with cancer the same year, before working on her Tumors Personified series.
Photosculptures, 1971, Alina Szapocznikow
Thýn heavily referenced Szapocznikow’s works, including her photosculptures series of chewing gums. The digital photographic display of what appears to be a sculpture made of rocks and steel rods as well as other abstract cutouts resembles the outlines of the chewing gums. Both Szapocznikow's Photosculptures, and Thýn's artworks play on dimensions within the work, the three dimensional depths of the sculptures and the two dimensional medium of photography.
The vibrant colors of the digital pieces created a striking vision to the exhibition space. While some of the sculpture seemed a little out of place, the sculptures and frame structures adds some depth to the otherwise flat compositions. While an attempt to add intrigue and suspense to the space was made, it was a typical commercial exhibition, organized to showcase the artworks of the artist. Regardless, the exhibition presents an avant-garde approach to sculpture and photography.
Jiří Thýn
Hunt Kastner
Photographs by Tan Sher Lynn
Reference
Higgin, C. (2017) "Body shock: the intense art and anguish of sculptor Alina Szapocznikow", The Guardian, October 6. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/oct/06/
human-landscapes-body-shock-the-art-and-anguish-of-sculptor-alina-szapocznikow (Accessed: 16 March 2019).
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