The In Search of the Present group exhibition at the intersection of art and science opens EMMA’s autumn program.
Looking for the present is a large international exhibition of contemporary art that takes an in-depth look at our world, which is defined by technology and its impact on us. EMMA has invited 16 visionary contemporary artists to the exhibition. Through their work, they explore the relationships between nature, technology, human thinking and artificial intelligence. Looking for the present will be opened to the public on Saturday 27 August 2022.
You can follow the live streaming of the press conference on Zoom via this link on Thursday, August 25 at 10 a.m. (Finnish time). Members of the media have the opportunity to ask questions via live chat.
Technology is sometimes seen as the opposite of nature and artificial intelligence as a threat to humanity. For the artists of In Search of the Present, technology mainly represents an opportunity to create a new kind of art and a tool for visualizing things that can help us enrich our relationship with nature and understand ourselves better. Curator EMMA’s main curator Arja Miller and curator Ingrid Orman, the exhibition explores the complex interaction between man, technology and nature. Many artists draw our attention not only to the possibilities of artificial intelligence, but also to other intelligences found in nature.
According to the curators, “Artists have a special ability to think outside the box; That is why it is especially interesting to turn to them to gain new perspectives on their own time. The artists in the exhibition deal with contemporary phenomena in processes that combine art, technology and science. However, all artworks can be experienced firsthand without prior understanding of technology.”
EMMA’s exhibition offers a diverse selection of artists’ works Refik Anadol, Dora Budor, Sougwen Chung, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Stephanie Dinkins, Teemu Lehmusususu, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Agnieszka Kurant, Brandon Lipchik, Jaakko Pietiläinen, Sondra Perry, Anna Ridler, Raimo Saarinen, Jenna Sutela, Jakob Kudsk Steensen and Lu Yang.
Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s works model and visualize vital functions such as heartbeat, breathing or speech in different ways. EMMA has commissioned Lozano-Hemmer to create a new edition of the work Last Breath, made in collaboration with the Finnish actress Seela Sella, for the exhibition. The work has been acquired for EMMA’s collection.
Refik Anadol, a Turkish-American artist, uses machine learning to create computer paintings and sculptures. He studies the creativity that arises from encounters between people and machines. American artist Stephanie Dinkins explores algorithmic structures that create inequality. He is particularly interested in creating more egalitarian technological systems through his art.
Chinese-Canadian artist and researcher Sougwen 汉君 Chung creates a kinetic installation activated through live performance that connects human neural pathways with a multi-robotic system – together in space creating brushstrokes for an ambitious assemblage. three paintings. The resulting paintings are part of the installation, and the production of this new work has been supported by the Saastamoinen Foundation.
Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen revives an extinct Hawaiian bird and its habitat through extensive fieldwork – his video and VR work RE-ANIMATED explores extinction, immortality and our ecological future. Polish artist Agnieszka Kurant explores the relationship between digital and biological phenomena.
The exhibition also expands into a tactile exhibition of the Saastamoinen Foundation’s art collection. Dora Budor’s large-scale installation Säilöntäkone – with its flying robotic bird – takes over the entire space, utilizing its natural properties and site-specific materials. The works of Sondra Perry, Jaakko Pietiläinen and Jenna Sutela previously acquired for the foundation’s collection and closely related to the theme of the exhibition are also on display in Nykyaaika in search.
The Etsin nyhetkea program has been designed and implemented in cooperation with Aalto University, Espoo City Theater and Helsinki Juhlaviikko. The virtual reality work Love Simulation EVE: Water Spirits by Eero Tiainen and the EVE working group, which is an independent part of the work to be performed at the Espoo City Theater in 2023.
The exhibition is the second part of EMMA’s Nykyhetke etsimäsa series, which started in 2016. Its name refers to a Finnish writer. Olavi Paavolainena collection of essays (1929) that explores the experiences and identity of modern man in a rapidly changing time. The general theme of EMMA 2022 is Crystal Ball. The artists of the film In Search of the Present examine the essence of our time in a visionary, experimental and courageous way.
In Search of the Present is running from 27 August 2022 to 15 January 2023 at EMMA.
HT
Source: Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA)