#587 Revolution
84x64 cm | Filler, pine panel
About
“And the first one nowWill later be last”Bob Dylan
I made this work using a device that allowed me to draw five lines simultaneously. In a swift twisting—or revolving—motion, I moved the device from one side to the other.
What interests me is that, in the final result, the five lines appear more independent than as parts of the same movement. They also seem somewhat hesitant and contingent, rather than reflecting the firmness and intention of the motion that produced them.
Perhaps this can serve as an illustration of how revolutions or systemic shifts develop. They do not always—or perhaps rarely—occur quickly or violently. Global capitalism, for instance, is the result of a long historical process emerging from earlier modes of production. It initially developed in isolated areas before eventually coming to dominate the entire field.In a similar way, new economic structures can emerge. Erik Olin Wright wrote about “eroding capitalism,” advocating for the construction of alternative economic “species”—such as worker cooperatives, public libraries, and universal basic income—within the existing system. These, he argued, could gradually expand and ultimately displace capitalist dominance.
While I find this strategy productive, for it to become truly effective, it is important to remember that its various elements must, to some extent, be guided by an overarching idea. Otherwise, they risk pulling in different directions and eventually dissipating.
In the painting, the lines intersect at several points. In our lives, we too often find ourselves at crossroads, where the choices we make shape our future. In such moments, it is important to consider our position as parts of a larger whole. Our decisions do not affect only ourselves—they also have consequences for society at large.Entangled Reality
The Entangled Reality series consists of works made with a device that allows me to draw multiple lines at once. It creates what might be described as a polyoptic image.
Our perception of reality does not rely solely on our own senses, but also on the perspectives of others. Since the emergence of language and human consciousness, this has been a demanding process: how to reconcile many points of view into one coherent outlook, ideology — or what psychoanalysis calls the Symbolic Order.
With the rise of mass media and the corresponding decline of religion, this process has become increasingly complex. Today, when countless perspectives are as instantly accessible as they are overwhelming, the task borders on the impossible. The result is a fragmentation of reality — and of our position within it.
Still, we sense that events and movements, sentiments and opinions are connected — we just don’t understand how. It’s reminiscent of the mysterious phenomenon of quantum entanglement, where information seems to exist simultaneously in different places, not through communication but through some hidden, direct connection. Carl Sagan once described how a two-dimensional world would perceive an encounter with a third dimension as something magical — objects descending from above, appearing out of nowhere. That’s where we find ourselves now: flat-earth believers flung into space, faced with the vertigo of hyperbolic language in overdrive.Res Ipsa
Res Ipsa is a compilation of works made by an act shaping the filler once it is prepared inside the frame. The works thus function as a recording device and give a statement of the event taking place while the filler was still wet.
Res Ipsa is Latin for "the thing itself" and is part of the juridical term "Res ipsa loquitur" (the thing speaks for itself), used when an injury or accident in itself clearly shows who is responsible, such as an instrument left inside a body after surgery.
