Sholto Blissett, Garden of Hubris XXIII, 2021. Painting - Oil on canvas on wood. 150 x 110 cm (59 x 43 in). Courtesy of Peres Projects, Berlin.
Per definition, a utopia “typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members”, the term was invented by the author Sir Thomas More, whose book was about the fictional island of utopia. In the writer’s imagination, utopia presented a somewhat perfect world. Modern life is the antithesis to the imaginary utopian world, the Berlin-based art gallery Peres Projects made this sentiment the protagonist of their most recent exhibition Utopia.
Nicholas Grafia, Call-In Rage, Call-In Care, 2021. Painting - Acrylic on digital print on canvas, painted wood, string. 140 x 190 cm (55 x 75 in). Courtesy of Peres Projects, Berlin.
Harm Gerdes, Untitled (05.10.2021), 2021. Painting - Acrylic on polymer canvas. 180 x 240 cm (71 x 94 in). Courtesy of Peres Projects, Berlin.
The group exhibition features the works from Sholto Blissett, Harm Gerdes, Nicolas Grafia, Donna Huanca, Bayrol Jimenez, Shuang Li, Cajsa von Zeipel and Ziping Wang. Exploring the myth behind the word through imagery, installation and moving image, the exhibition is a vehicle for understanding the complexity and ambiguity of contemporary life and our unstable realities. The exhibited works encourage response, thinking and a transcendental inner experience.
Cajsa von Zeipel, Double Dose of Zen, 2021. Sculpture - Silicone, aqua resin, 2 bongs, 3 stuffed squirrels, acrylic nails, air blower blaster pump, aquarium outlet nozzle, ball claw, bridle bracket, bubble window, dolly wheels, expandable foam, fabric, faux fur, faux sheepskin, fiberglass, flexible rubber coupling, glass eyes (hazel), hardware, wooden JBL speaker, kickstand, multi monitor mounts, nose ring, pigmented silicone, plexiglass, post surgery chin strap, synthetic hair, and tubing. 241 x 89 x 76 cm (95 x 35 x 30 in). Courtesy of Peres Projects, Berlin.
Whilst the spectrum of artists is versatile, all of them share their approach to mysticism as a speculative system, partnered with a bag full of ideas, spirituality and a unique way to take control over the narrative. Walking through the exhibition makes one undergo a sensorial experience, questioning reality and utopia in the age of self-creation.
Bayrol Jiménez, Gato de metal (Metal cat), 2020. Painting - Oil on canvas. 180 x 140 cm (71 x 55 in). Courtesy of Peres Projects, Berlin.
The exhibition is now on until the 7th of January 2022 at Peres Projects, Berlin.