ARTMIA Foundation is pleased to open a solo exhibition entitled Geometry of Mind by British artist, Conrad Shawcross. He will show various installations at the exhibition space.
Imbued with an appearance of scientific rationality, Conrad Shawcross's sculptures explore subjects that lie on the borders of geometry and philosophy, physics and metaphysics. Attracted by failed quests for knowledge in the past, he often appropriates redundant theories and methodologies to create ambitious structural and mechanical montages, using a wide variety of materials and media. His forms are inspired by different technologies including the nautical and the audio-visual as well as a range of natural forces. His mysterious machines and structures remain enigmatic, filled with paradox and wonder. Some have an absurdist melancholy feel, while others tend to the sublime.
Conrad Shawcross, Harmonic Manifold 1(5:4）,2011; patinated bronze, 225x90x90cm
Conrad Shawcross, Limit of Everything, 2011; Metal, oak, mechanical system, light, 600x600x100cm
Shawcross has also experimented with ideal geometries and topologies; these constructions are conceived as systems, sometimes modular, sometimes mechanical, which could be theoretically extended infinitely into space. In these and other sculptures, Shawcross pays tribute to some of the great pioneers and analysts, and considers specific moments or figures from the past. Paradigm (Ode to the Difference Engine), 2006 references the life of Charles Babbage; Space Trumpet (2007) is inspired by the history of early acoustic mapping; while Slow Arc Inside a Cube (2008) takes its inspiration from the scientist Dorothy Hodgkin's discovery of the structure of pig insulin.
More recently, Shawcross has developed the scale of his practice, taking on architectural spaces with work that combines epic scope and poetic grace. Timepiece was a major new commission for the Roundhouse in 2013 in which Shawcross transformed the iconic main space of this historic London building into a vast timekeeping device.
- Text by Victoria Miro
Conrad Shawcross, Off Cut Axiom, 2009; Douglas fir, steel, 600x400x250cm
Conrad, Shawcross, Limit of Everything, 2011; Metal, oak, mechanical system, ligtht, 600x600x100cm
About the exhibition
Dates: 29 May - 24 Aug 2014
Opening: 29 May, 3:00 pm
Media Invitation (Press Conference)：June 4， 2：00pm.
Venue: ARTMIA Foundation
Address: 261 Caochangdi, Airport Service Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100015, China
Courtesy of the artist and ARTMIA Foundation, for further information please visit www.artmia.net.
