A couple weeks back in Art Basel Hong Kong, one showstopper that got all the spectators in a frenzy was a perplexing installation piece by Troika.
The new art collective on everyone’s rader, Troika is an innovative art troupe founded by Eva Rucki, Conny Freyer and Sebastian Noel, whose experimental projects often explore the limits of perception.
Often creating spatial experiences through exploring the intersection between sculpture, architecture and contemporary installation, Troika’s exhibition series named “The Far Side of Reason” does just that. With a combination of existing and newer pieces, one standout piece was the fascinating “Squaring the Circle“.
Squaring the Circle (2013)
CNC bent steel tubes & black flocking
Squaring the Circle was a hanging installation that appeared to be some magical optical illusion. A steel black flock flannel constructed piece that from afar seemed to be a circular sculpture, but was in fact a square when seen up close through the juxtaposed mirror.
By creating a playful piece on illusion and reality, Troika attempts to challenge the viewer’s sensibilities by questioning whether the possibility of having a dualistic vision can be true. By allowing us to look at the object from various angles and perspectives, the audience is forced to see beyond what their mind limits them to.
The other pieces from the “Far Side of Reason” series that recently finished up in Galerie OMR in Mexico City, are another mindfield of experimental mediums and aesthetics.
Black Dust (2013)
Soot on somerset paper
Black Dust has a moody charcoal-smudged feel with soot on somerset paper, whilst Hierophany is a graphic monocramatic range of sculptural drawings done on multiple black & white dices.
Hierophany (2013)
Series 2, rule 57
9,758 black and white dices
Hierophany (2013)
Series 1, rule 225
9,758 black and white dices
The Weather Yesterday (2013)
LEDs, aluminium, custom electronics
And to finish, I’ve included a sneaky favourite of mine – The Weather Yesterday (2012) where Troika humours the audience by poking fun at the Brits obsession with the weather. Done so with a large, perfectly apt 5 metre high installation sign to track the weather day to day.
All images courtesy of the artists and OMR, Mexico
See more at Galerie OMR & Troika
