Norbert Delman, solo show, Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponentat, at Maria Stenfors in London
preview: 12 March, 18:30
Maria Stenfors is delighted to present Norbert Delman’s first solo show at the gallery. Delman will transform the gallery space into three symbolic areas: the viewer is greeted with a photograph of a deflated ball masking a man’s face; then, a tournament area with a basketball net below which a video work displays a game involving two masked teams; and finally, a third zone comprising a grandstand for viewers to passively watch the conflict unfold.
Born in Poland in 1989, and a graduate of Miroslaw Balka’s studio in Warsaw, Delman explores how media and mass communication has created a generational rupture, with the fear of failure leading to the desire for transformation. The opposition between winning and losing has lead Delman to examine ambition, rivalry, games and war, as well as the fear of failure and rejection. The use of signals, alarms and messages create warnings of an unknown terror, and heightens the sense of instability further. Panic arises in a climate where it is hard to determine who the ‘good guy’ is, the risks involved and where the power ultimately lies. Differences of perception create a climate where communication is ultimately impossible.
Delman’s placement of diverse media, such as video, sculpture, found objects, installation and performance, though initially seemingly schizophrenic, provides further evidence of the anxieties, tensions and multi-faceted nature of contemporary existence. The objects, and the pauses between them, create a sensory environment that is both personal and collective, evoking an emotional response of apprehension and disquiet.