The curatorial and editorial project for systems, non-
Condo | An exhibition by Henrik Eiben at Bartha Contemporary, London 13 Oct 2015 to 19 Dec 2015
A review by John Stephens
©Copyright Patrick Morrissey and Clive Hancock All rights reserved.
One might be forgiven for assuming that the focal work that gives this exhibition
its title, Condo, has its roots in systems art, with its allusions to a constructivist
aesthetic, and its apparent repeated use of an angular configuration of shapes which,
in their grid-
The gallery describes the works as wall based relief works, and on first viewing
they appear to be somewhat cool and clearly-
Condo, 2015, Lacquer and magnets on mdf, polystyrol and steel 220 x 176 x 2 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bartha Contemporary
Installation shot, courtesy of Bartha Contemporary
Condo is made up of immaculately lacquered rectangles of MDF, polystyrol and steel,
which give the piece a subtle relief quality, with nuanced variations in the thickness
of the materials. Each of these rectangles has had a section cut out of it, with
a chevron cut, and has then been arranged within a vertical/horizontal grid. The
effect of this is that the voids left by the removal of the cut-
The shadows cast on the wall by the subtle hanging of the component shapes vary in softness and hardness. This effect is emphasised by the juxtaposition between the edges of the cut sections and the applied colour, as well as by the variations in the physical hang of the works in proximity to the wall itself.
Examining the diagonals in greater detail invites one to look for a system, but it
is elusive; there is a sudden awareness of being drawn into an energy that comes
from something else, something quite intuitive. The diagonals have been arranged
without any system -
Malvoh, 2015, Laquer and magnets on MDF, Polystyrol, copper and steel 125 x 100 x 1 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bartha Contemporary
Malvoh is similarly conceived, but rather than being white, its cut sections have an applied matt dun colour. For me this works less well; the spaces between the sections perhaps leave too much of a void to sustain an overall coherence. The somewhat muddy colour, except for a curiously placed pink triangle at the bottom left, militates against the poetics of the play of light or colour that I enjoyed with Condo.
Even Flow, 2015 Lacquer, wood, leather and steel 48 x 59 x 9 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bartha Contemporary
There is a particular quality to the facture of the pieces in this show as a whole. All are made with a very high level of craftsmanship, and this is particularly evident in Even Flow and Lamar. They are both very beautiful works, and exploit the intrinsic mechanical properties of the materials from which they are made, which again, is enhanced by the play of light.
Even Flow consists of three white angular solids arranged with suede leather billowing
in the spaces between them, the leather providing a grey, softly-
Lamar, 2015, Aluminium. 200 x 160 x 14 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bartha Contemporary
There is a similar visual intelligence apparent in the beautifully-
Their angular structure provides a discontinuous surface that the light bounces off with varying nuances of metallic grey. Both Lamar and Even Flow offer a visually complex poetry, with very economical means in terms of their craftsmanship and use of materials. Both pieces demonstrate Eiben’s intuitive ability to allow the play of light and materiality to be the focus for the works.
Installation shot, courtesy of Bartha Contemporary
In the rear part of the gallery there is a series of framed watercolours. They are
very sparingly executed, their one-
Blue Valentine, 2015 Watercolour and wool on paper Framed 70 x 59 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bartha Contemporary
Adopting a notational style, they are not very obviously about colour. There is very little in the way of colour orchestration, and one concludes that they are possibly about a faster way of creating the dynamic that one finds in the wall series. It was while looking at these works that the idea of Eiben’s intuitive or serendipitous thinking occurred to me; a thought reinforced by my looking at the newsprint catalogue of watercolour ideas that was freely available in the gallery, and by looking later online at some of his previous work.
While this is a small and intimate show of a limited number of works, it does seem to suggest the breadth of artistic inventiveness of which Eiben seems to be capable, and which at first glance is not immediately apparent in the wall pieces in this exhibition. I came away thinking that rather than the show having much to do with systems art, which at first occurred to me, it is more to do with a playful experimentation with materials and light, which through the facture of the pieces, and their careful internal structure, is given a kind of sternness; the combination of sternness and playfulness is beguiling.