20-29 August, 2021
Under the gloomy, damp dome of PLATFORM Bunker, the total installation Synthetic Seduction appears in new, underground surroundings. In the bunker-turned-exhibition space—initially created to withstand a bombing attack—you now tread into another world: one where a menacing apocalypse of another kind seems dangerously near.
In the center of the room, video works are shown on two vertical screens, where flesh-like organisms float around restlessly. The two screens are surrounded by silicone sculptures, resembling sticky, meaty amoebas or fungi that have escaped their test-tubes—evocative of a near-future dominated by new life created in biotechnological laboratories, or perhaps of a world where something mutated and went wrong;where the organisms have been seeking shelter in the bunker.
At first glance, the sculptures appear as dreadful and gross creatures. But when looking at the floating amoeba-like organisms for longer, it is hard to decipher if they have a consciousness and purpose or if they solely evolve slowly. It is impossible to understand or relate to the organisms, and the viewer is left in the attempt to create meaning through their presence.
The undefinable lifeforms reveal little about their puzzling world, and therefore pose a question about what artificial life is and the potential it holds.
Marie Munk (B.1988) holds an MA in Mixed Media from the Royal College of Art in London (2016). Munk has had solo shows including Great Pets at Tranen (DK) in 2020, Nice Day For a Run at Cologne’s Melange in 2019, and has participated in group shows at Kunsthal Aarhus, MU Hybrid Art House (NL), Code Art Fair (DK) and EXPO Chicago (US), among others.
Stine Deja (B.1986) holds an MA from the Royal College of Art in London(2016). Deja has had solo shows including Cold Sleep at Tranen (DK) in 2021, Last Resort at London’s Annka Kultys Gallery in 2020, and has participated in group shows including The Artist Is Online at König Gallery, Germany, Turing’s Lover at Jinan Art Museum China and Real Feelings at HEK in Basel, among others
Deja and Munk have had multiple duo-shows together, most notably at Untitled Projects in Vienna, SixtyEight Art Institute in Copenhagen and at Annka Kultys Gallery in London. Synthetic Seduction at Platform Bunker is arranged by Anders Kjær Rasmussen and Emil Busch Madsen
Synthetic Seduction exists in multiple editions and has been shown all around Europe. The first edition of the work is part of the permanent collection of ARKEN and is currently on display at the exhibition AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW.
platform BUNKER 