Helen Maurer - Solo exhibition at Angel Row Gallery

15th Sep 2006 (Fri)

High Tide 2006
overhead projector, glass, mirror and painted wood

-When I saw Maurer’s the first work at gallery, it surprised me. Yes, indeed. The first work I saw the first in gallery was the simplest one. It has just one direction to project, however, the clear colour was amazing and it made me have high expectation about that exhibition. Good order as an exhibition! I never imagined the way to use glass and OHP projector in that way! I was shocked with very clear blue colour of the first work next to the bar offering drink. Very very clever! I am sure that Maurer considered every aspects of light effect and every angle. Maurer controlled the materials such as glass, mirror, object and etc. in a perfect way! Brilliant! With man-made thing such as glass, light and mirror, Maurer mixed the colours on projection and created the colours of nature. When I saw the mixed colour with green and blue on the wall, the colour reminded me William Turner’s colour of sky.

In addition, searching the real thing of shadow from Maurer’s works, really really entertained me. Okay, art can entertain people. Unfortunately, most people don’t accept the idea that art can entertain people. They just think ‘modern art’ is too difficult to understand. One day, one of my flatmates who is in law school said, “ Do you really understand modern art? I think everything that is called ‘ART’ is just crazy thing! Is that true the fact that modern art has a meaning?” …… We don’t need to think art is too difficult. Sometimes (not always), it is enough to feel it and enjoy it as the way it is. Of course, artists work after deep consideration and research, however, they do not push people to study. Art has many many possibilities. Entertainment is important function of art.

I think Maurer has sculpture’s eye. She might see the world through the sculpture’s point of view. She created 3-dimension world with glass, mirror and projector. Her works were not for only wall (=plain). I could see that sailing images on every walls using light. Therefore I could feel 3D space which Maurer’s work generated.

In Korea, there is a very famous poem titled ‘nostalgia’. It describes image of sailing. It is Exactly the same with Maurer’s art. So, it reminded me an old picture, memory and home. However, I am not sure what did she intend to say with her work. I just wonder what is Maurer’s subject and purpose.