10 Oct 2012

Glasmoog and European Kunsthalle present Melvin Moti

European Kunsthalle and Glasmoog jointly present a solo exhibition by the Dutch artist, Melvin Moti, winner of this year's ars viva prize. Moti's films and installations are known for their both subtle and formally radical reflection of the phenomena of visibility and the invisible, often linking them to historical narratives.

In the exhibition 'The Cosmic Community' (September 7 to October 21, 2012), Moti's two 35mm films 'Eigengrau' (2011) and 'Eigenlicht' (2012), conceived as a diptych, will be shown together for the first time. Their titles refer to physiological phenomena – the German terms 'Eigengrau' (intrinsic grey), 'Eigenlicht' (intrinsic light) – describe the colour seen by the eye in perfect darkness; even in the absence of light, some action potentials are still sent along the optic nerve, causing the 'sensation' of a uniform dark grey colour. For both films, a museum collection served as a starting point. In the case of 'Eigengrau', it refers to the famous collection of art and design objects held by the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London, whereas 'Eigenlicht' responds to the mineralogy collection at the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh. 'Eigenlicht' features rocks which absorb and emit UV light as if they were flying through space, immersing the viewer in the uncanny beauty of these luminous objects by removing any sense of their physical scale. Similarly, 'Eigengrau' shows decorative handcrafted objects in slow-paced images of hypnotic beauty, of detachment, of suspension in seemingly weightless disconnection from all points of reference. Comparable to so-called 'floaters' (particles on the surface of the eyes that can only be perceived in the fleeting nature of their motion), these objects appear and disappear as ephemeral images on the fine membranes between different worlds of perception.

Melvin Moti (born in 1977, lives and works in Rotterdam and Berlin), has frequently exhibited his work internationally. He has staged solo exhibitions at Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), Kunsthalle Lissabon, Lisbon, MUDAM (Luxembourg), WIELS (Brussels), Galleria Civica (Trento), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam) and MMK (Frankfurt).

With this joint project in conjunction with Glasmoog, the independent exhibition space of the Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln (Academy of Media Arts Cologne), European Kunsthalle begins its third phase. This phase, after a highly discursive programme (2006/2007) and a temporary location at the Ebertplatz (c/o Ebertplatz 2008/2009) as well as in the New York exhibition space Ludlow 38/Goethe Institute New York (2009/2010), will in future be shaped by collaborations with other sites in the field of contemporary art. As an institution without fixed premises, the European Kunsthalle sets its sights on having a temporary presence: it exists in those places where its projects are staged.

The exhibition is kindly supported by:
Mondriaan Fonds
Kingdom of the Netherlands