Over the past few days, I have been looking on various subreddits where people share their “hauls” or upcoming “hauls” of reproductions they are about to purchase. The process is quite complex to copy some of these replicas of Prada, LV or Gucci, but after reading several FAQ, I can sum it up in a few simple steps: you choose what you like, you ask for photos, you do a QC (Quality Check) with other members of your subreddit and then you order it, after a few users have said GL (Green Light).
This process of looking at tons of pictures of shoes, bags, jackets or belts reminded me of that same process that sometimes goes when looking at art online. You go to one of those many online websites for galleries to share their exhibitions and scroll through tonnes of photos. Or maybe you want to buy a work and get a pdf, some close ups and maybe even a video, up close, so you can see the texture. And usually you do, because the art world has become hyper global and we function with these images as the truth, so you have to believe.
When I was thinking about this exhibition, I was thinking about the special materiality of each of the artists, and how to make an exhibition around that. Materiality is very difficult to translate into photographs, especially when they are mostly professional, i.e. neutral. Usually you have to believe, try to understand the process from the material list or by looking closely at the work, but there is always something special in them, something mysterious.
The works presented here have a strange material feel. With some artists this is central, with others it is secondary. In any case, it is still there. I invite you to dwell on the many textures and effects that play out in your eyes and mind when viewing these works, from the how was it made to the what does it mean or how do you concentrate on one part.