Following other seminal performances such as Theory of Gravity (2006) and Come in Peace/Go to Pieces (2008), Johan Thom once again appropriates from a variety of sources: the title of his new work Twilight (of the Idols) is a clear reference to Twilight of the Idols by Friedrich Nietzsche (1888). The physical action comprises that of the clenched fist, associated with so-called leftwing political groups but also, more generally, with anger, violence and frustration, and found materials such as ordinary washing detergent and black sump oil. These materials will be combined in order to create a ritualistic performance lasting approximately two hours in which a group of performers will repeat a series of actions with military precision.
The Bind/Ontbind (series 1) video installation, first presented at the 2003 Venice Biennale - as part of the exhibition 'Recycling the Future: Viverevenezia2' - is an extension of a sculptural process where Thom binds or wraps objects with rope, tape, plastic, etc. The artist writes that, 'For me, the work is a metaphor for the constant processes of decay and of regeneration, of affirmation and negation - for example, the way various identities and ideologies bind themselves to us. They may disfigure us, but whenever we attempt to replace them with new systems of thought we are in fact simply disfiguring ourselves anew: this is the void - our inability to exist without disfiguring ourselves and others through our limiting gaze.'
Thom (b 1976) lives and works in
Opens: May 13
Closes: June 8
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