Material Madness at Gether Contemporary

Artists: Astrid Myntekær, Christine Overvad Hansen, Marie Kølbæk Iversen, Mille Kalsmose

Exhibition title: Material Madness

Venue: Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark

Date: March 15 – April 27, 2019

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen

We are mad about materiality. As individuals and as society we are fascinated by the material. We want to touch and physically engage ourselves in what we experience. We want to move around and look at it. We want to stand face to face with it and mirror ourselves in it. The sculpture and the physical manifestation in space has become our most direct channel to involve ourselves in a work of art, and are at present the clearest reference to ourselves and of our times seen through art.

Material Madness brings together four women, each of whom works with sculpture and interaction with space. They all relate unconventionally to the sculpture as a medium, and utilize new techniques and different materials. Fiberglass, aluminum, silk, honey and porcelain are some of the materials used in the works, which are in stark contrast to the classic sculpture materials marble, plaster and bronze.

The different material choices make us relate to the works in a different way, and help to emphasize the inherent themes. Environmental dystopia, social and family relations, myths and women’s histories, femininity and body are some of the themes explored at the exhibition. Each of the themes is pushed forward by the chosen materials and techniques that become part of the story and an integral part of what the sculptures depict.

Material Madness deals with the fascination of the physical material, but also the fascination of the intellectual material that precedes the sculptures taking shape. The works in the exhibition extend beyond the physical material they are made of. They represent a distinct knowledge based on key themes and issues of our times. Material Madness is a celebration of works whose process and final result represent the immersion in and dedication to the physical and intellectual artistic material.