Artist: Ivan Pérard
Exhibition title: 1:5000
Venue: Loggia, Vienna, Austria
Date: May 24 – June 25, 2023
Photography: Courtesy the artist and Loggia, Munich/Vienna | Photo: Flavio Palasciano
How could anyone,
in their sucky-sucky modernism Call this a “pimple on the Earth”?
How could they call it “hideous eyesore”? How “godforsaken monstrosity”?
How “fucking piece of neo-capitalist me- ga-corporate shit dungeon”?
Its Elysium eclipse in carbon cement
Hospital, orchard, daycare, university, stadium, fabrication, design, marketing, legal, web, security, military, intelligence, anthropology, biology, aesthetics, re- search and development and beyond.
The architects are the gods of our habits They shape our bad bad behaviour nice From here you can walk straight off the planet
– Ivan Pérard
Sculpted in virtual reality and made into substance by a de-tuned 3D printer, Ivan Pérard’s new series of work appear as architecture models on steroids. As in Asger Jorn’s modifications wild constructs are placed on top of an existing ground. Somewhat disturbing. From Accra to Nuuk, from Hong Kong to Vienna, from Copenhagen to Buenos Aires, from Paris to Nuku’alofa, from New York to Doha. Ten cities across the globe in miniature with imagined growths that mime high-rises with plenty of space for various forms of urban life.
20 cm equals 1 km. Stacked on top of each other. Layer after layer. Born horizontally
aiming vertically. The class divisions are palpable as your eyes wander from the tiny fishing sheds on the shores of Accra to the gigantic sea turtle shaped tower probably packed with luxurious apartments with private tennis courts and opportunity for various body treatments. The line between utopia and dystopia is thin. A few
millimeters to be accurate.
How much of the old world do we need to tear down in order to create a new? Do we reuse the brick in the name of sustainability? Are all mankind’s mistakes and victories, bad habits and ingenious inventions found within the material? How can we overcome ourselves? To think big you have to think small. In miniature, in 1:5000.
– Nikolaj Stobbe, Lagune Ouest
Loggia’s programme in Vienna is kindly supported by Karl&Faber Auctioneers, Tectus Insurance Brokers and Casandra Hermann.
