“The Space Between Us” at Fahrenheit, Los Angeles
July 19 – September 27, 2014
Opening: Saturday, July 19, 7-10PM
Aaron Garber-Maikovska
Caroline Mesquita
Piotr Łakomy
“The Space Between Us”, explores how the line in drawing, sculpture, film, and performance extends beyond flatness and into physical space through the construction of fluid and indefinite movement. This three-person presentation utilizes the exhibition space as a support for a reflection on the line, understood as a path between points and human bodies. The line is another iconic element in modern art and visual culture and a reference in Constructivism, Minimalism and Land Art. It further appears as a fundamental trope in dance and choreography. A study of the line reveals political, social, and cultural boundaries and addresses the interconnections and dependencies resulting from our technological and globalized society. The space between us lies amidst these spectral, invisible lines, and ultimately reflects the vast loneliness and disconnectedness of our modern existence.
Aaron Garber-Maikovska’s approach to drawing, painting, and performance denotes a desire for movement within the plane. His work conveys an attention to physicality, choreography, and a fascination for contemporary flânerie. His latest series of ink on gator board expresses a spontaneously improvised and desynchronized gesture on photographed prints of construction sites, abandoned palm trees or sleeping bags. Similarly, the exhibited video presents the artist performing abstract and poetic movements, at once mechanical and absurd, filmed in an outlet zone in Temecula, California, in a deserted parking lot or inside a Costco. Deprived of an audience, these performances can be seen as a silent form of resistance against a mass consumption system and its attributes – chain stores and industrial zones.
Caroline Mesquita’s in situ, large-scale installation Rag (2014) is composed of bent and welded steel tubes and accompanied by a series of prints on fabric. Shaped as a continuous sculptural line that runs and dances around the exhibition space, it features four sculpted characters adopting sensual positions while the fabric prints seem to flit and jump next to their metal bodies. Recycling pieces from previous works, Mesquita has also built a set of wind instruments, used to compose the minimal soundtrack accompanying her installation.
Piotr Łakomy’s ensemble of ten, sprayed aluminum sheets Untitled (2013) functions as a metallic and reflective décor or stage design for the exhibition. Developing his practice around architectural and human-sized arrangements, Łakomy’s use of automotive spray paint is a performative and physical tool to alter the surface of his works. The reflective, mirrored surface of his sheets furthermore provides the exhibition space with a multiplying effect while interacting with the viewer and the surrounding pieces.