Please, Turn Dark Matter On!Iva Ćurić (HR)

installation, 2017

Please, Turn Dark Matter On! gives an idea of the appearance of dark matter given spatial extent in the form of a one-way spiral labyrinth, a material geometrical simulation of a galaxy through which, in total darkness, a visitor walks to the centre in which there is a “deaf part”, a part of the space that is sound-insulated and that has an on/off switch. By pushing down the switch, the visitor lights a lamp that cannot be finally lit up; it is lit for a second, after which it goes out.

Please, Turn Dark Matter On! symbolizes a moment of the artist’s thinking about the appearance of something that we do not know the appearance of, and yet it seems close at hand. Even when we think that we have an idea about the look of dark matter, it vanishes. In truth, this is one of the more demanding tasks, just as difficult as the attempt at the lasting lighting of the lamp in the dark space of the work, a little irritating in its ultimate existence, supported by a part from the festival's open call, which the artist read through many times: “At a time that is defined by the domination of the model even simulation of dark matter can be considered as a symbol of human limits and the restricted nature of our perception, knowledge, and reality”. Because of the contamination with suggested existing visual (re)productions Please, Turn Dark Matter On! often comes down to constructing an attempt at giving an appearance to dark matter.

Please, Turn Dark Matter On! is the artist’s personal translation of the process of thinking about the appearance of dark matter, still visibly unfathomable.

collaborator: Nenad Brkić
production: KONTEJNER (DIY_ARTLAB)

Iva Ćurić (HR)

Iva Ćurić (b. 1984) graduated in art education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, specializing in graphic arts in 2010. In 2006/2007, she also studied intaglio printing at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. She is active on the arts scene in the field of expanded graphics. Her artistic exploration focuses on collaboration with the fields of science and technology, with an emphasis on exploring perception, the relationship between the visible and the invisible, as well as topics of data, information and the media. Conceptually, her works problematize the notions of reality, illusion and absurdity. Her works have been exhibited in Croatia and abroad. She is a teaching assistant at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.

curiciva@gmail.com