At The Bookshop-Projectspace June 26-28, 2015
In connection to the 120 years anniversary of Seyðisfjörður, current artist-in-residence David Edward Allen will present a selection of his recent and current work at the Bookshop – projectspace opening this Friday at 5 pm.
Over the weekend the exhibition will be open from 15.00-19.00.
THE ANIMAL
The greatest difference between native people and outsiders is found in Iceland. Manner, appearance and language work hand in hand.
The heavens, the most common property of everyone, is crammed full with animals that appear in the guise of the stars that mankind believes in. But the only animal on the map of the world is Iceland.
Iceland is the unknown animal in the eyes of the outsider. That is why he sets off in quest of the animal within himself. The quest is his expectation and experimentation with the yardstick of separateness. And at the same time his place in the world of the other animals.
Animals discover their separateness by claiming part of their environment as their own territory. Having encountered the animal in oneself and trying to merge it with ones consciousness often creates an adequate separateness with respect to those who do not know of the existence and origin of the animal. A wondrous hybrid is born.
When eventually, the separateness is evaluated, the animal is set free and man remains in the oblivion of the stars. He shares out his emptiness and his injury among them.
Birgir Andrésson
1994-95
David Edward Allens work revolves around a broadened notion of Landscape and our position as part of it. Using, for example, natural phenomena such as gravity, the organic growth of trees, or the movement of a sound wave, to set up formal structures which are open to processes of re-organisation. Allen`s works are like experiments to isolate, or rather traps set to capture, moments of change, movement, or sets of circumstance; using environments as a means to effect or create form.
He has shown in various solo and group exhibitions, such as at the Museum of Installation, London, Kunsthaus Baselland, the Akira Ikeda gallery, Berlin, and the Me Collectors Room Berlin / Stiftung Olbricht. Between April 2011 and April 2012 he was co-director of the project space “nationalmuseum” at its Urbanstrasse site in Berlin-Neuklln, where he curated a number of solo and group exhibitions.
www.davidedwardallen.com