Alchemistry
April 25–September 30, 2019
On April 25 at IK LAB Tulum, the evocative work of three women artists—Kelly Akashi, Bianca Bondi and Rochelle Goldberg—will be presented for the first time together in Alchemistry, an unprecedented exhibition exploring the alchemical process of transformation and sublimation.
Claudia Paetzold, Curator and Artistic Director of IK LAB, notes: “Expanding upon IK LAB’s inaugural trilogy, Alignments, Configurations and Conjunctions, which retraced the stages and strata of manifestation and connection, IK LAB´s fourth exhibition, Alchemistry, focuses on the transformation and sublimation characteristic of the alchemical forces underlying the artistic and human process of evolution and creation. Featuring works by Kelly Akashi, Bianca Bondi and Rochelle Goldberg, the exhibition explores the alchemical process by operating synaesthetic shifts, staging dissolving shapes, revealing the infinite potentiality of materials and transposing matter into the mythological sphere.”
US-based artist Kelly Akashi’s oeuvre unveils a constant flow of transformation operating as a metaphor for the transition from one physical or evolutionary state to another. In Pincer, lost wax bronze casts of fractions of her hand contained within a pearlescent organic shape made of handblown glass suggest the origination of complex life forms in creatures of the sea. The fingers evoke a sensorial organ of discovery, implying a possible transition from visual to tactile perception. Shells, a tomographic video uncovering an oscillating microcosm dwelling inside the partitions of a sea shell, points to life’s infinite fragmentation and unity at once, while Big Drip, a lost wax cast of a cathedral-like dissolving structure, and Life Form (Moon Mask), a spherical shape reminiscent of an ancient ceremonial recipient, mark the inception of a teleological narrative.
Paris-based South African artist Bianca Bondi’s work explores matter’s potential of transformation through an instinctive alchemical process resulting in the mutation or even dissolution of her creations. Tegeticula Yuccasella, a translucent purple cloak suspended from the ceiling, insinuates shamanic practices favoring elevated states of consciousness, whereas Here, not Here (psíquico), a blue neon installation, lit at times and illusive at others, yields the vacillating promise to access the innermost workings of the soul. Meanwhile the delicate crystal network in This is Jupiter in Sagittarius, Healing and Justice continues to grow throughout the course of the exhibition as a living artwork embracing the infinite generative process of nature itself.
Canadian artist Rochelle Goldberg introduces a mythological component into the alchemical research deployed inside of IK LAB’s meandering space through awe-inspiring masks and demiurgical figures made of ceramic that merge the four elements of earth, water, fire and air. Intralocutor, a life-size representation of a female figure, shaped in the classical contraposto and simultaneously evidencing post-modern fragmentation, evokes a multitude of mythological and mystical inspirations, such as the seven Marys or the disembodied force of Kundalini. In Gatekeeper, the expanding concentric circles of the coated aluminium structure supporting the figure’s ceramic head suggest the inscription into multiple spheres, a theme continued in Swarm, a delicate feathered nylon net, outlining the coordinates of a new space-time continuum the viewer is invited to enter.
IK LAB Tulum is an experiential art space nestled in the Mayan jungle of Tulum, Mexico. With its organic and imaginative architecture conceived by Roth (Eduardo Neira), the space captures the quintessence of the Yucatan peninsula’s abundant nature and rich spiritual heritage, radically redefining the relationship between art and its physical environment. Through its presentation of groundbreaking contemporary art exhibitions and its avant-garde residency program, IK LAB offers a space for the creation of idiosyncratic cultural experiences for Tulum’s local community and international visitors alike.
