Disse Hænder er Monstre – Måden hvorpå vi ser os selv og verden omkring os
"Fra det øjeblik vi fødes, opdager vi vores ekstremiteter. Vi lærer at kravle, udforske og skabe. Gennem denne taktile erfaring lærer vi både følelsesmæssigt og kropsligt at føle. Vores hænder, vort sinds køretøj, giver os mulighed for at udtrykke kærlighed og had gennem én prompte handling. Nogle gange før vi selv opfatter det, som havde hænderne sin egen bevidsthed. Som et magisk væsen glimtvis forbundet til hjertet. Vi lever livet gennem vores valg og overlades kun til at tage endnu flere valg, mens vores hænder udholder hver sæson, indtil vi finder et sidste hvilested. Vi vandrer hvileløst rundt i denne verden, mens vi undrer os over, om vi nogensinde vil efterlade et spor eller få vores rejse omskrevet til et eventyr eller myte. Vores hænder, disse hænder, er monstre.”
Isaac Arvold, June 2014
August 15 - September 20
Med disse ord skyder vi efterårssæsonen i gang med et af galleriets senest ankomne amerikanske talenter, Isaac Arvold. Til denne udstilling ”Disse Hænder er Monstre”, der er Isaacs første solo i galleriet, har Isaac primært arbejdet med værker i akryl på lærred, der ledsages af seks håndmalede print samt en mindre installation.
Isaac blander på imponerende og sikker vis former, farver og tekst lånt fra mange forskellige universer. Inspirationen er tydelig; tegneserier, surrealisme, tatoveringer og illustrationens streg er blevet genforhandlet og dragende forenet inden for én ramme. Det er alt sammen håndens spektakulære værk, når den får frit løb og ikke mindst sit eget løb, som Isaac beskriver det. Udstillingen ”Disse hænder er monstre” vækker store spørgsmål til livs om det enkelte menneskes væren i verden både med tanker og krop og ikke mindst i forhold til andre mennesker.
Vejen ind i Gallery Poulsen er for Isaac Arvold traditionen tro sket gennem et bekendtskab til en af galleriets andre kunstnere, nemlig Jade Townsend. De to møder hinanden i Minneapolis’s kunstnermiljø, hvor Isaac, sideløbende med sit job som skolelærer, slår sine folder frem til 2007, hvor han flytter til Brooklyn, New York. Her træffer Isaac igen Townsend, der introducerer ham for Gallery Poulsen. Første gang vi præsenterede Isaac var under sommerudstillingen “The Wild Bunch” sidste år. Isaac blev her særdeles godt modtaget og en soloudstilling blev sat i kalenderen omgående.
Og her har I den så – ”Disse Hænder er Monstre”! Udstillingen er et visuelt bombardement fyldt med modsætninger; illustrationens sirlige streg overfor hurtige grove penselstrøg, fantasifulde surrealistiske figurer overfor abstrakte grafiske flader, det langsommelige traditionsfyldte maleri overfor det reproducerbare print. Kontrasterne og komplekserne er mange, men Isaacs hånd er sikker. Velkommen indenfor – I kan roligt overgive jer til Isaac Arvolds fantastiske og talentfulde hule hånd!
Udstillingen omfatter 14 nye malerier, 6 håndmalede print samt en mindre installation. Isaac Arvold ankommer til København mandag d. 11/8 og er tilgængelig for interviews. Kontakt galleriet på +45 3333 9396 for mere information.
These Hands are Monsters – The way we look at ourselves and the world around us
”From the moment we are born we discover our extremities. We learn how to crawl, explore and create. Through this tactile experience, we learn to feel both emotionally and physically. Our hands, our vehicle of the mind, allow us to show love and hate within one swift act, sometimes before we even know it. Almost as if they have a mind of their own. Like a magical creature connected to the stubs of our heart. We live by our choices and are only left making more choices while our hands endure every season until we find our resting place. We wander through this world wondering if we will ever leave a mark or have our journey be turned into a tale or myth. Our hands, these hands, are monsters.”
Isaac Arvold, June 2014
With these words we kick off the fall season with Gallery Poulsen’s newly arrived American talent Isaac Arvold. For this show “These Hands are Monsters”, which is Isaac’s first solo show in the gallery, Isaac has primarily been working with acrylic on canvas accompanied by six hand-painted prints and a small installation.
Impressively and convincingly Isaac combines shapes, colors, and text borrowed from many different universes. The inspiration is obvious: comics, surrealism, tattoos and styles of illustration have been renegotiated and united within one single frame in a very alluring way. It’s all the spectacle work of the hand when it’s been set free, and when it has a mind of its own, to use Isaac’s own words. The exhibition “These Hands are Monsters” awakes great questions of the individual human being’s existence in the world, both in mind and in body, and not least in the relation to other people.
Joining the gallery team happened true to the Poulsen tradition for Isaac – through the friendship with Jade Townsend. They met in the artistic environments of Minneapolis, where Isaac had his creative stamping ground alongside his job as a schoolteacher up to 2010 when he moves to Brooklyn, New York. Here he meets Townsend again, who introduces him to Gallery Poulsen. The first time we presented Isaac was in the summer show “The Wild Bunch” last year. Isaac was very well acclaimed and a solo show was put in the calendar immediately.
And here it is – “These Hands are Monsters”! The show is a visual stream of contradiction: the accurate line against the rapid and rough brushstrokes, the imaginative surreal figures against the abstract graphical backgrounds, the slow tradition-filled painting against the reproducible print. The contrasts and complexes are many but the hand of Isaac is confident. Welcome to the show – and do not hesitate to be under the amazing and talented hands of Isaac Arvold!
The show includes 14 new paintings, 6 hand-painted prints and a small installation. Isaac Arvold arrives in Copenhagen Tuesday the 12th and is available for interviews. Contact the gallery at +45 3333 9396 for more information.
Isaac Arvold (US)
These Hands are Monsters – The way we look at ourselves and the world around us
15.8 - 20.9
Opening reception Friday August 15th from 5 - 7pm
