We are always in danger of magic
Nora Aurrekoetxea  |  Pierre Gerard  |  Dalila Gonçalves  |  Florian Kiniques
curated by Christophe Veys
14.05 - 10.06.2021

The idea for the exhibition was born from the will to put together works by four artists who pay a lot of attention to details in their practice, and then magnify those small elements in their works. This aspect has been highlighted by the title of the exhibition, which comes from a poem by Emily Dickinson − an exceptionally original poet, who paid attention to the smallest details, especially those from the world of nature.

As the title suggests, we can encounter magic everywhere: at a street corner, in the depths of a forest or in the bottom of a pocket. Serendipity − a lucky coincidence − plays an important role in the origin of the works presented herein. Moreover, thanks to the work and determination of the artists, poetry "about almost nothing at all" becomes a deep, mysterious obviousness, perhaps too complex for those who would like to understand everything straight away. Just as in the poems of Emily Dickinson, there are many paths of possible interpretations, numerous ways to follow, and we need to focus our attention a thousandfold.

Nora Aurrekoetxea (1989, Spain)
From adornments to destruction, from the external world to the internal one − there are many circulations and passages in Nora Aurrekoetxea's practice. Her new work displayed at the exhibition is made of platforms and sculptural forms. Let's inquire about the sources of the external forms of these fragments. Let's try to discover what elements they contain. What do they tell us about bodies? Do they hurt them? Or do they adorn them? It is fascinating to watch this struggle between territories and anatomies. The artist plays with the limitations that she imposes on the materials and the liberation to which they aspire. This dynamic feels quite akin to the aspirations of Dickinson.
Fragments are also the essential elements of Nora Aurrekoetxea's practice. In two other works by the artist we can find the aesthetics of ruins and an approximation to disquieting strangeness. Aurrekoetxea explores her skill in the use of space, deconstructing the body and creating tensions similar to sexual desire.
Serendipity and artistic curiosity have caused both myself and the gallery to follow the works of this incredible Basque artist. These lucky coincidences are echoed in the exhibition's title.

Pierre Gerard (1966, Belgium)
The universe of this artist features a fascinating economy of small details. Gerard gathers elements and assembles them in a skilful manner. Their meanings escape us, just as in many poems by Emily Dickinson, and at the same time both artists offer a tangible density of senses. Approach the display cases. Discover how each fragment converses with its neighbours, how they complement or oppose each other. There are both found objects, and objects that have been patiently crafted. The practice of this artist is consciously polymorphic. He passes smoothly between sculptural spaces and painting surfaces. Each object has been invented as a structural element: its back has a purely sculptural character, while the front has a grid drawn in pencil, which serves as the borders of coloured cells, overlapping one another with more or less transparency. Another work by Pierre Gerard in this exhibition is an abstract, almost musical piece (stemming from his other areas of interest) that pulsates when light reaches its surface or when a visitor passes in front of it. This exceptional series of works has been newly created in recent months.
The fame of this artist falls short in comparison with the quality of his works; therefore, Pierre Gerard is a "secret" that I felt obliged to share with you.

Dalila Gonçalves (1982, Portugal)
The practice of Dalila Gonçalves resembles alchemy: she transforms everyday objects into remarkable pieces. Whether she uses repetition or fragmentation, her works always contain an element of metamorphosis and a passionate approach to the concept of time.
From the very beginning of this exhibition project, I was sure that the work made out of found coins had to be displayed here. Each of those coins shows some signs of wear and tear, telling the story of the events from their "life". Another element they all have in common is the fact of displaying someone's face. They have been organised in a way that some persons face left and others face right: back to back against each other. Such divisions often lead to a rejection of The Other, to hate. Our Europes turned their backs on each other for a long time: Southern Europe against Northern Europe, the East against the West. Paradoxically, this work encourages us to look at each other.
There are more works here that speak of meetings and transformations. Small sculptures with mineral elements fused with industrially manufactured sponge. This is also the main topic of the video material Aluir, which presents clay exposed to the process of entropy. Through this captivating relation, it compels us to think about colours. It creates the impression of abstract paintings in the "Colour field" style, while sounds evoke the violent effects of friction between tectonic layers of the Earth's crust.
During my meetings with the Rodriguez Gallery, at numerous art fairs, I was impressed by many of "their" artists. The same was true of Dalila's works during the fair in Madrid.

Florian Kiniques (1988, Belgium)
Language and memory are two major elements in the practice of this artist. For this exhibition, he created a project referring to one of the multi-layered poems by Emily Dickinson. Each of the wooden letters is covered in typographic ink; words written hastily in the poet's handwriting − sometimes difficult to decipher − are organised on the wall in a way resembling the author's original notes. To the side, our attention is drawn to a rectangular cuboid that looks like a huge dash connecting the past with the present. It is actually a capital letter "I", whose dimensions correspond to the height of the artist; it is an "I" connecting the two artists. This artwork explores the clash between an object created for oneself (because Emily Dickinson did not want to publish it) and the fact of putting it on display. Things of initially minor importance become visible. What is that "look for which I cease to live"? This ambiguous phrase resonates and connects us to the intensity of thoughts of Dickinson. This work is complemented by a film presenting the suspension of the spheres, and the representation of the whole. The three dots that when put together make up an ellipsis, signifying the unsaid, the unfinished, and what we could say about them.
Florian is one of the most promising French-speaking Belgian artists. It was a pleasure to share with you the acuity of his explorations.

Christophe Veys (1973, Belgium) is an art historian specialising in contemporary art, which he teaches at the Academy of Fine Arts (ARTS²) in Mons, Belgium. He is also a curator and a collector (Collection Veys-Verhaevert).

 

 

The exhibition has been organised with the support of Wallonie-Bruxelles International and Miasto Poznan.