Miklos Gaál 4.4. – 26.4.2009
In his current exhibition, Miklos Gaál (b.1974) turns his attention to a variety of different topics in a variety of different techniques, including video and photography presenting them in different formats. He continues his exploration of photography, with a particular interest in the emphasis placed on the subjective nature of experience, reinterpretating the subject from its context and the way in which a photograph dismantles the illusion of reality.
Gaál notes that for his video installation Hey Homer! (Epic Proportions), 2009, he has captured “slowly moving smoke formations assuming a life of their own, their proportions becoming increasingly blurred. The images have been captured using a high-speed camera that allows one second of footage to be stretched over five minutes. The result is almost like looking into a time microscope where the smoke creates a neverending variety of shapes and formations. The title is a reference, not just to Homer, but also to storytelling. The motif in itself is not significant, what is important is how it acts as a projection surface for the viewer.” The exhibition also includes photomontages.
For his Phrases Project slide installation (1993-) Gaál has drawn on a selection of quotes, excerpts from conversations he has overheard and recorded in his sketchbooks over the years. Gaál says “these dialogues I have quoted give you very quickly an idea of the original situation. Like a photograph, the lines create their own version of the reality they depict and leave us with a mere trace of what has passed. My piece is concerned with linguistic expression, the conditions and limitations that govern it. It is as if these spontaneous and trivial utterances offer a solution to the original situation. They stem from the need to think of an relieving explanation or can simply reflect sudden bursts of temper.”
“Even a tiny moment can tell a story. A familiar view can be revealed to us in a new and unexpected light. I might see something that previously remained hidden, something that changes the way I see my surroudings and myself. Suddenly, I can feel like I understand and feel something very intensely.”
Rauli Heino
Miklos Gaál has studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki. He has exhibited widely internationally and in Finland. He is currently participating a two-year residency programme at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam.
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Hey Homer! (Epic Proportions), 2009 |
Hey Homer! (Epic Proportions), 2009 |
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Phrases Project, 2009 |
Phrases Project, 2009 |
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Phrases Project, 2009 |
Phrases Project, 2009 |
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Phrases Project, 2009 |
Phrases Project, 2009
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