\u201cTread lightly,\u201d the woman beside me warns, \u201cthere are things on the floor.\u201d Standing at the threshold of Gallery 02, Eckstein\u2019s arena within the Akureyri Art Museum, I watch the cadence of the visitors shift from stride to tread. Uncertainty is etched on faces. One throws the question to a nearby group,\u201care we allowed inside?\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At first glance, the exhibition space resembles an adorned construction site. Sheets of dark green plastic engulf the floor, submerged and ship-wrecked objects appear to float within these layers; both hidden and accentuated by the shards of film that blanket them. Nonsensical items are strewn underfoot; palm-leaves, dehydrated water-bottles, a wigged human mask left compressed, as if petrified under ice. The sparse assemblage, to say the least, is one of eclectic intrigue.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n German artist Eckstein (b.1968), who creates by \u201cinverting the outside inward\u201d offers visitors to Akureyri a distinctive twist on the gallery experience. By using the whole floor space, the artist turns the underfoot into his canvas, invoking the \u201csensory impression\u201d of a monumental, walk-in landscape painting, where viewers are invited to step onto the art itself. Building on his earlier bodies of work, such as ‘On a Shaky Ground’ or ‘La Vague’<\/i>, Eckstein\u2019s installation explores the emotional conflict between certainty and uncertainty, engineering an environment in Akureyri that both invites and refuses entry. To house this diametric interplay, curator Hlynur Hallsson placed the exhibition in a transitional gallery. The sight of the rooms behind Eckstein\u2019s work offers visitors an unspoken invitation to cross the piece, without interrupting the discord within the exhibition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthan life\u201d was presented in two stages, the final version unveiled in a sweeping performance held in Akureyri Art Museum on the 26th October 2019. In a dynamic show, the artist took his floor-centric work and brought it up onto the dividing wall, transforming the dialogue within the space. In this second instalment, spectators witnessed Eckstein mount three parasols, as well as erect his signature cantilevered overhang; a gravity-defying structure built using only cardboard boxes, tape and clotheslines. Drawing on the architectural philosophies of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, he orchestrated a spirited subversion of balance, both structurally and aesthetically, one which served to counter the instability of the terrain below. The cantilever, a style which takes materials and dances them to the point of near-failure, stands as an architectural beacon of unconventionality and dare. A dual ethos invoked by Eckstein, who not only designed an unorthodox structure, but turned the act into a dauntless performance. \u201cI wanted to go beyond borders, beyond what I\u2019ve done before,\u201d says the artist. \u201cI wanted to push myself in front of the abyss.\u201d<\/p>\n Through performance, Eckstein demonstrates the creative mechanisms behind his work, allowing him \u201cto tell more than just the story of handcrafted set-up.\u201d He compared his installation choreography to that of musical notations, reading his movements like a score. \u201cI went through it in detail imagining step by step,\u201d he recounts. \u201cIt was like learning a textbook; trying to figure out how to manage the difficult parts and the edges to come around.\u201d In the vein of an architect, all compacted works he produces come with a set of transferable drawings, ready to install in different locations. He began introducing cardboard boxes early on in his artistic practice, sometimes recording their installation on tape alone in the studio. From this, he notes the natural transition to install in front of an audience, the performance aspect allowing for an element of improvisation. Which makes it \u201creal, re-actable and connected to the situation and time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Eckstein\u2019s performance was captured on film the night of the 26th, the show documentation available to watch on iPhones in the gallery. Small and intimate, viewers can lean in and witness post-hoc the installation. These videos, says the artist, \u201cReflect the history of the set up,\u201d offering visitors hooks of continuity amongst the ephemeral nature of the space. Embedded in Eckstein\u2019s philosophy is the concept of impermanence, creating works, such as performances, that in his words both, \u201cresist time and external influences; eventually only to remain in the mind.\u201d For curator Hallsson, the addition of cameras and iPhones also prompts viewers to think about the transition within the space. Together, he notes, \u201cthey allude to how it was before and the potential of what could happen there.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rounding the corner into adjacent Gallery 05, Eckstein\u2019s work undergoes a thematic shift. The floor comparatively stripped bare, the focus is moved towards two separate installations. The former, a metal figure bedecked with colourful clothes, the latter, a re-fashioned roll of leftover material. \u201cI was looking for a quotable image,\u201d recounts the artist, whose practice often cites contemporary iconography. \u201cI ended by using a Yves Saint Laurent advertisement I found on the back cover of a magazine. The structure is linked to the Hellenistic sculpture of the Nike of Samothrace,<\/i> with a comparable posture as well as aspects of the clothing.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Eckstein often produces versions of advertising logos that are \u201csimplified, rough and raw.\u201d In this instance, he departs from the Saint Laurent design, traces it back to its sculptural influence, before contracting it to its basic form. He uses just the curve of a wire to trace the figure\u2019s outline and alludes to the goddesses famed drapery using only bedraggled clothes. The quotation of The Winged Nike<\/i>, whose diametric pose has been described as where \u201cviolent motion and sudden stillness meet,\u201d also engages with the conflicting environment next door, which both invites forward \u201cmotion\u201d into the space and triggers a \u201csudden stillness\u201d amongst visitors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Used by the likes of Marinetti as an archetype of beauty, the Nike of Samothrace<\/em> has been termed \u201cgreater than life,\u201d offering an apposite comparison to Eckstein\u2019s work. \u201cI am interested in greatness,\u201d says the artist, \u201cthe extraordinary, the extra-large, the super. Life is the measuring scale and there is nothing bigger, so I\u2019m interested in the greatest there is to achieve.\u201dThis philosophy is echoed in Eckstein\u2019s title, the artist often using simple words to convey complex thoughts. \u201cThe title is loaded with ideas,\u201d he explains, \u201cand this time I wanted the words to be connected to life and size. I tried to change my thoughts into Icelandic using translation machines, converting the words back and forth to get as close as possible to my point.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This technique is seen redeployed at the back-right corner of Gallery 05, which houses a roll of excess material furnished with pink wig, tripod and a translated paper sign. \u201cThe paper resting on top came with the transport crate,\u201d explains Eckstein. \u201cThe museum staff were asked to install it on the central wall in Gallery 02 before the opening of the show and before the whole space was transformed by the later installation performance.\u201d The text was intended to ask people to bring materials on the day of the performance, which Eckstein would then work around and react to. For Eckstein, the inaccuracy of the translation machine renders \u201csomething new, dystopian or unexpected\u201d to his words. \u201cIn some ways wrong,\u201d he laughs, \u201ctherefore being right.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At each stage of this exhibition there is a sense of suspended completion. Dystopian in its nature and governed by the need to push boundaries, \u201cI\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthan life\u201d will take your stance and turn it on its head. \u201cThis show is like a process\u201d says director Hallsson, \u201cand that\u2019s what\u2019s interesting about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Claire-Julia Hill\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Knut Eckstein\u2019s show I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>\u00a0will be on display at the Akureyri Art Museum until 20\/01\/2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Disarray. Carefully scripted disarray, with plastic-wrappers, video-makers, light-fixtures and oil slicks, peculiar, confusing, mysterious; welcome to Knut Eckstein\u2019s constructed world.\u00a0 \u201cTread lightly,\u201d the woman beside me warns, \u201cthere are things on the floor.\u201d Standing at the threshold of Gallery 02, Eckstein\u2019s arena within the Akureyri Art Museum, I watch the cadence of the visitors shift […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":9404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Disarray. Carefully scripted disarray, with plastic-wrappers, video-makers, light-fixtures and oil slicks, peculiar, confusing, mysterious; welcome to Knut Eckstein\u2019s constructed world.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p> \u201cTread lightly,\u201d the woman beside me warns, \u201cthere are things on the floor.\u201d Standing at the threshold of Gallery 02, Eckstein\u2019s arena within the Akureyri Art Museum, I watch the cadence of the visitors shift from stride to tread. Uncertainty is etched on faces. One throws the question to a nearby group,\u201care we allowed inside?\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p> At first glance, the exhibition space resembles an adorned construction site. Sheets of dark green plastic engulf the floor, submerged and ship-wrecked objects appear to float within these layers; both hidden and accentuated by the shards of film that blanket them. Nonsensical items are strewn underfoot; palm-leaves, dehydrated water-bottles, a wigged human mask left compressed, as if petrified under ice. The sparse assemblage, to say the least, is one of eclectic intrigue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> German artist Eckstein (b.1968), who creates by \u201cinverting the outside inward\u201d offers visitors to Akureyri a distinctive twist on the gallery experience. By using the whole floor space, the artist turns the underfoot into his canvas, invoking the \u201csensory impression\u201d of a monumental, walk-in landscape painting, where viewers are invited to step onto the art itself. Building on his earlier bodies of work, such as 'On a Shaky Ground' or 'La Vague'<\/i>, Eckstein\u2019s installation explores the emotional conflict between certainty and uncertainty, engineering an environment in Akureyri that both invites and refuses entry. To house this diametric interplay, curator Hlynur Hallsson placed the exhibition in a transitional gallery. The sight of the rooms behind Eckstein\u2019s work offers visitors an unspoken invitation to cross the piece, without interrupting the discord within the exhibition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201cI\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthan life\u201d was presented in two stages, the final version unveiled in a sweeping performance held in Akureyri Art Museum on the 26th October 2019. In a dynamic show, the artist took his floor-centric work and brought it up onto the dividing wall, transforming the dialogue within the space. In this second instalment, spectators witnessed Eckstein mount three parasols, as well as erect his signature cantilevered overhang; a gravity-defying structure built using only cardboard boxes, tape and clotheslines. Drawing on the architectural philosophies of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, he orchestrated a spirited subversion of balance, both structurally and aesthetically, one which served to counter the instability of the terrain below. The cantilever, a style which takes materials and dances them to the point of near-failure, stands as an architectural beacon of unconventionality and dare. A dual ethos invoked by Eckstein, who not only designed an unorthodox structure, but turned the act into a dauntless performance. \u201cI wanted to go beyond borders, beyond what I\u2019ve done before,\u201d says the artist. \u201cI wanted to push myself in front of the abyss.\u201d<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Through performance, Eckstein demonstrates the creative mechanisms behind his work, allowing him \u201cto tell more than just the story of handcrafted set-up.\u201d He compared his installation choreography to that of musical notations, reading his movements like a score. \u201cI went through it in detail imagining step by step,\u201d he recounts. \u201cIt was like learning a textbook; trying to figure out how to manage the difficult parts and the edges to come around.\u201d In the vein of an architect, all compacted works he produces come with a set of transferable drawings, ready to install in different locations. He began introducing cardboard boxes early on in his artistic practice, sometimes recording their installation on tape alone in the studio. From this, he notes the natural transition to install in front of an audience, the performance aspect allowing for an element of improvisation. Which makes it \u201creal, re-actable and connected to the situation and time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Eckstein\u2019s performance was captured on film the night of the 26th, the show documentation available to watch on iPhones in the gallery. Small and intimate, viewers can lean in and witness post-hoc the installation. These videos, says the artist, \u201cReflect the history of the set up,\u201d offering visitors hooks of continuity amongst the ephemeral nature of the space. Embedded in Eckstein\u2019s philosophy is the concept of impermanence, creating works, such as performances, that in his words both, \u201cresist time and external influences; eventually only to remain in the mind.\u201d For curator Hallsson, the addition of cameras and iPhones also prompts viewers to think about the transition within the space. Together, he notes, \u201cthey allude to how it was before and the potential of what could happen there.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Rounding the corner into adjacent Gallery 05, Eckstein\u2019s work undergoes a thematic shift. The floor comparatively stripped bare, the focus is moved towards two separate installations. The former, a metal figure bedecked with colourful clothes, the latter, a re-fashioned roll of leftover material. \u201cI was looking for a quotable image,\u201d recounts the artist, whose practice often cites contemporary iconography. \u201cI ended by using a Yves Saint Laurent advertisement I found on the back cover of a magazine. The structure is linked to the Hellenistic sculpture of the Nike of Samothrace,<\/i> with a comparable posture as well as aspects of the clothing.\u201d<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Eckstein often produces versions of advertising logos that are \u201csimplified, rough and raw.\u201d In this instance, he departs from the Saint Laurent design, traces it back to its sculptural influence, before contracting it to its basic form. He uses just the curve of a wire to trace the figure\u2019s outline and alludes to the goddesses famed drapery using only bedraggled clothes. The quotation of The Winged Nike<\/i>, whose diametric pose has been described as where \u201cviolent motion and sudden stillness meet,\u201d also engages with the conflicting environment next door, which both invites forward \u201cmotion\u201d into the space and triggers a \u201csudden stillness\u201d amongst visitors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Used by the likes of Marinetti as an archetype of beauty, the Nike of Samothrace<\/em> has been termed \u201cgreater than life,\u201d offering an apposite comparison to Eckstein\u2019s work. \u201cI am interested in greatness,\u201d says the artist, \u201cthe extraordinary, the extra-large, the super. Life is the measuring scale and there is nothing bigger, so I\u2019m interested in the greatest there is to achieve.\u201dThis philosophy is echoed in Eckstein\u2019s title, the artist often using simple words to convey complex thoughts. \u201cThe title is loaded with ideas,\u201d he explains, \u201cand this time I wanted the words to be connected to life and size. I tried to change my thoughts into Icelandic using translation machines, converting the words back and forth to get as close as possible to my point.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Knut Eckstein, I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 05. (24\/11\/2019) Photography: Dani\u0301el Starrason.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> This technique is seen redeployed at the back-right corner of Gallery 05, which houses a roll of excess material furnished with pink wig, tripod and a translated paper sign. \u201cThe paper resting on top came with the transport crate,\u201d explains Eckstein. \u201cThe museum staff were asked to install it on the central wall in Gallery 02 before the opening of the show and before the whole space was transformed by the later installation performance.\u201d The text was intended to ask people to bring materials on the day of the performance, which Eckstein would then work around and react to. For Eckstein, the inaccuracy of the translation machine renders \u201csomething new, dystopian or unexpected\u201d to his words. \u201cIn some ways wrong,\u201d he laughs, \u201ctherefore being right.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> At each stage of this exhibition there is a sense of suspended completion. Dystopian in its nature and governed by the need to push boundaries, \u201cI\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthan life\u201d will take your stance and turn it on its head. \u201cThis show is like a process\u201d says director Hallsson, \u201cand that\u2019s what\u2019s interesting about it.\u201d<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Claire-Julia Hill\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Knut Eckstein\u2019s show \u201cI\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife\u201d will be on display at the Akureyri Art Museum until 20\/01\/2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16],"tags":[723,758,757],"class_list":["post-9314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artzine-in-english","tag-akureyri-art-museum","tag-im-notreallyinterested-in-anythinggreaterthanlife","tag-knut-eckstein"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/artzine.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screenshot-2020-01-13-at-13.45.38.png\")
Knut Eckstein, I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 02. (24\/11\/2019) Photography: Dani\u0301el Starrason.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/artzine.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screenshot-2020-01-13-at-13.48.39.png\")
Knut Eckstein\u2019s Performance for I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 02. (26\/10\/2019) Photography: Hlynur Hallsson.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/artzine.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screenshot-2020-01-13-at-13.49.01.png\")
Knut Eckstein\u2019s Performance for I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 02. (26\/10\/2019) Photography: Hlynur Hallsson.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/artzine.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screenshot-2020-01-13-at-13.49.16.png\")
Knut Eckstein, I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 05. (24\/11\/2019) Photography: Dani\u0301el Starrason.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/artzine.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screenshot-2020-01-13-at-13.49.32.png\")
Knut Eckstein, I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 05. (24\/11\/2019) Photography: Dani\u0301el Starrason.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/artzine.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screenshot-2020-01-13-at-13.49.51.png\")
Portrait of Knut Eckstein for I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Iceland (24\/11\/2019) Photography: Helene Leslie Eckstein.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nKnut Eckstein, I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 02. (24\/11\/2019) Photography: Dani\u0301el Starrason.<\/p>Knut Eckstein\u2019s Performance for I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 02. (26\/10\/2019) Photography: Hlynur Hallsson.<\/p>Knut Eckstein\u2019s Performance for I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 02. (26\/10\/2019) Photography: Hlynur Hallsson.<\/p>Knut Eckstein, I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery 05. (24\/11\/2019) Photography: Dani\u0301el Starrason.<\/p><\/p>Portrait of Knut Eckstein for I\u2019m notreallyinterested in anythinggreaterthanlife<\/em>, Iceland (24\/11\/2019) Photography: Helene Leslie Eckstein<\/p>