As A Matter Of Illusion
Group show
Opera Gallery, Beirut
2019
Article by Gilles Dyan for Opera Gallery
Technology has taken mankind by a blast in the past years, and art was surely not left behind. It ventured far from bare representation, far from a simple brush and a white canvas, to intrigue not only artists, but all art enthusiasts across the globe.
Modern Materials
Assisted by the development of modern materials and technology, artists now have a plethora of choices to concoct their creative output. They have the possibility to not only paint, sculpt and glue, but to experiment with materials that were once so far from the art world.
New Perspectives
Opera Gallery Beirut is delighted to present As a Matter of Illusion, a collective exhibition celebrating 11 contemporary artists who bring before our eyes new perspectives and unconventional ways in understanding how dimensions, light and medium can be comprehended and rendered.
Some of the featured artists chose to manifest their interest in light from within, dealing with words or figurative images, whilst others marked their work through shedding the light onto the artwork itself.
Tracey Emin
The enfant terrible of her generation, Tracey Emin is one of the first to come to mind. The incandescence of neon gathers the sensation of intimacy and humour under her hands. There is something quirky about it; the artwork develops a personality of its own.
Emmanuelle Rybojad, takes us on a journey into a world of illusion. In her Paris studio, she plays with unconventional supports and pushes them beyond their basic use. Mosaics with Rubik’s cubes, infinity neon diamonds, geometric shapes put into perspective by an assembly of mirrors invite the viewer to be captured by what one sees and perceives.
Korean artist Son Bong-Chae displays an Eastern aesthetic through the modernity of the materials he employs. Literati art style inspired landscapes and trees are dotted with new colours and depth in his work.
Fred Eerdekens’ copper lettering inspires the meditative feeling of tranquility. He uses shadow and light as ink and paper; his approach to light and light source is very different, but the rendering would not be complete without it. We find this same quality in the work of Chris Wood who uses dichroic glass to breathe colour into her installations. She orders the accidental and makes us reflect on the experience of seeing.
Diving deeper into the realm of more familiar objects, Gregory Emvy combines the canvas with light; the outcome is a chimeric mix of painting and bright neon.
Noart
Noart’s installations bring Jules Verne to the 21st century. The regular lines and shiny aluminium surfaces embody the same kind of wonder facing the infinite possibilities made real by technology.
His fellow countryman Pascal Haudressy is known for his sculptures and video installations that investigate the “link between the remote past and the future, and between science and myth”, as he has said. Across media, his works are eerie and meditative, playing with light, shadow, and movement, and merging virtual and physical space.
Nick Gentry
British artist Nick Gentry does just the opposite. His touch is that of the alchemist who finds pleasure in breaking down the impersonal and morph obsolete and outdated objects into something alive.
Still, some question material itself. Umberto Ciceri brings the uncanny lenticular work to a grand scale. Visual illusion becomes the centerpiece of one’s attention.
A New Era of Creation
This distinctive selection of artists from around the globe helped us grasp what art is and can become in this new era of creation. Opera Gallery Beirut is glad to present to you these discovered gems and hopes you will enjoy this exhibition as much as we have during the whole process of finding, curating, and bringing to you the final hybrid yet completely one of a kind experience.