Press Release
muted flood: St. & St. / Viktoria Ikonen / Nobushige Kono
May 31 -June 15, 2019
Art Center Hors
Hors is pleased to present a new project "muted flood" by St. & St. (GER), Viktoria Ikonen (RUS) and Nobushige Kono (JPN). In their exhibition the artists explore the topic of "information flood" in digitalized times due to various works within a collective site-specific superstructure.
May 31 -
Art Center Hors
Hors is pleased to present a new project "muted flood" by St. & St. (GER), Viktoria Ikonen (RUS) and Nobushige Kono (JPN). In their exhibition the artists explore the topic of "information flood" in digitalized times due to various works within a collective site-specific superstructure.
Each artist engages in several sub-themes in the framework of the project. For example, by an interactive piece made with an open call for donating empty ringbinders, St. & St. questions the possibilities of "personal control", considering the global information flood and its nihilations. While constructing one of her installation pieces in a form of book, Ikonen deals with the gradations between the "original" and "copy" of information based on various photographic materials. With a sculptural piece made out of soil, Kono works on the main theme of information flood through "the information of floods", which is related to what happened around his home town in Japan.
Over months the artists have exclusively communicated via Internet, dealing with physical distances and time differences and giving themselves the restriction just to write and send images to prepare the foundation of the exhibition. Within the communication which has been solely held in English – as common denominator - they have subsumed their individual and cultural approaches in theory and practice into a joint language.
Some muted facts about "muted flood"
When St. & St. arrived from Berlin in Saint Petersburg one week before the opening of "muted flood" to set up the exhibition at HORS together with Nobushige Kono and Viktoria Ikonen, the director of the venue decided without any explanations to cancel the communication and all the promises, which were made weeks and months before, and suddenly it turned out that there is no free space anymore the artists could use.
On the 2nd day the artists were struggling with finding a new space for their upcoming exhibition and failed, but luckily Ikonen got in touch with the administrator from HORS and after long discussions she said, the artists could use the space, but instead of the promised three weeks, including one week preparation time, just for the one day for their opening, as it was hired out before and afterwards to someone else.
On the 31st of May 2019 they started to set up their installation "muted flood“ and had 9 hours until the opening from 7pm to 10pm.
"muted flood" questions the flood of information nowadays. But at the same time it is the artists' reaction to the experiences they had at HORS: the lack of communication, the neglection of promises and their impuissance, while being equipped with communication devices in their pockets.
Directly after the Opening they pulled down their installation.
Images from the 31st of May
When St. & St. arrived from Berlin in Saint Petersburg one week before the opening of "muted flood" to set up the exhibition at HORS together with Nobushige Kono and Viktoria Ikonen, the director of the venue decided without any explanations to cancel the communication and all the promises, which were made weeks and months before, and suddenly it turned out that there is no free space anymore the artists could use.
On the 2nd day the artists were struggling with finding a new space for their upcoming exhibition and failed, but luckily Ikonen got in touch with the administrator from HORS and after long discussions she said, the artists could use the space, but instead of the promised three weeks, including one week preparation time, just for the one day for their opening, as it was hired out before and afterwards to someone else.
On the 31st of May 2019 they started to set up their installation "muted flood“ and had 9 hours until the opening from 7pm to 10pm.
"muted flood" questions the flood of information nowadays. But at the same time it is the artists' reaction to the experiences they had at HORS: the lack of communication, the neglection of promises and their impuissance, while being equipped with communication devices in their pockets.
Directly after the Opening they pulled down their installation.
