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SOFT BOXING (2019)
THE SECRET LIFE OF
MATERIALS
PENNINGS FOUNDATION
EINDHOVEN
NOV 2018 - DEC 2018
Soft Boxing is the first solo exhibition of the Danish artist duo Frederik Nystrup-Larsen and Oliver Sundqvist with the gallery, for which they have developed a series of 9 light sculptures made of stainless steel, coated acrylic fabric and fluorescent LED tubes. The works offer a new reading, bending and breaking of the definition of sculpture as form, spatial relationships, volume, line, color, texture. Soft Boxing is movement stopped in time.
The title refers to Tai Chi, the timeless Chinese martial art that consists of smooth and forceful continuous movements with a combination of mind, strength and proper breathing. Soft Boxing is a meticulously phenomenological exploration of this gradual transition of fluid movements, one after another. Inhale Exhale. Zen. By channeling the energy of the mind, through the body and its gestures, towards the material, Soft Boxing is presented as a sculptural legacy of the aesthetic movements of Tai Chi.
Connoting the poetic charm of Tai Chi and the fundamental Yin / Yang duality, each sculpture consists of a skeleton of bent steel strings, determining the biomorphic shape of the object, reviving the organic design language of the 1950s, stretched by a tube. seamless coated acrylic knit, balanced one direction, one gesture, one command. Soft Boxing are 9 unique variations of this ritual. 9 shape shifts within the transfer. We are faced with these anthropomorphic forms, quite our own physically, before they catch eyes like 9 shadows of the luminescent creatures before and after, some hang from the ceiling, others sway or sit on fragile legs, similar to a butterfly chrysalis or a praying mantis.
Light, immaterial and weightless, has the potential to carry evocative power. Characterized by their weightless luminosity, the sculptures provide a softened indirect light for a more ambient experience. The delicate and fibrous covers disguise the shaped fluorescent LED tubes, while softening their harsh glow, transforming the electric light into the light of our origin, the natural light of the sun and the moon, and this is the light that will continue to fill our rooms.
The creative duo of Frederik Nystrup-Larsen (b.1992 Copenhagen) and Oliver Sundqvist (b.1991 Copenhagen) has proven to be a partnership that continuously questions the current state of contemporary art. The pair have reinterpreted the processes of consumerism, illustrating critique on overconsumption and poor manufacturing through working in the field of art and design.
Intellectually and physically dependent on regular variation and change, 'Mater' (meaning mother in Latin), the first collective project between Oliver and Frederik, was a vase created as a Christmas present for their mother. Norma, a Copenhagen restaurant that is often referred to as the best restaurant in the world, used the vase. Since 'Mater,' the duo have continued focusing on creating unique and collectible objects, with a central focus on longevity. The pair seek to ignite a feeling of responsibility in people through the creations of thoughtful and sustainable pieces. A lot of their work questions the surrounding world. Inspired by characters who challenge established understandings of and structures within this world, the duo look towards multiple disciplines to fuel their creativity.
Their process is as equally important as the final product. Inspired by beauty and decay, Oliver and Frederik's creative process is split into phases - initially, they spend a lot of time reflecting, not stressing about it, and being slow, taking actions that do not relate to the project or practice. The following phase, the physical execution of the idea, is built on intuition and (often an unhealthy) tempo. The duo thrives off the flow of stress, allowing their brains to work on autopilot while creating.
The designers split their time between Copenhagen and London and have exhibited at Art Basel and at two solo shows before they had even finished school.