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Component 1835

Fake brittle Reality

(2019)
55 x 30 x 10cm
mirror
 part of a series of components produced for the exhibition Good Conditions
shown at DWM Gallery




Van Malderen reminds us that the ‘selfie’ often takes us away from the present moment and as a
consequence exposes us temporarily to peripheral danger. The mirror sets up a tension between
the attraction for the reflection (and the ever-irresistible selfie) and the fear of its razor-sharp
edges. The work is a metaphor for the potential consequences involving our ever-increasing self-referential
achievement society.


This work came together rather intuitively after reading the words ‘fake brittle reality’ online. It brings together Van Malderen’s ongoing fascination with mirrors as a material and the reactions they provoke in our age of the selfie. Fake Brittle Reality sets up a tension between the attraction for the reflection (and the ever irresistible selfie) and the fear/danger for harm (due to the sharpness) on the other hand. The selfie often takes us away from the present moment and has led to numerous injuries and fatalities. The mirror, the reflection and the echo are a rich and reoccurring theme in the field of philosophy, as much as they are in contemporary cultural theories and reflections about the world wide web.
Is the reflection or the bounce true? Or is it just a fake brittle reality?





This component forms part of Good Conditions

In Good Conditions, Kris Van Dessel and Tom Van Malderen build upon their previous collaboration Conditions and Opportunities at DMW Art Space in 2017. Together with curator Tram Scawped, the artists continue their quest into the protocols of exhibiting and the mechanism of the contemporary art economy in general. Their previous collaboration at DMW investigated the conditions and opportunities of the ‘art space’ by means of a series of minimal in situ interventions, ranging from subtle modifications of lighting and heating elements to enquiries into the appropriate shade of white for the walls of a white cube. Following up on this expo, 'Good Conditions' explores the application and potential of autonomous artworks as components of a dense art-fair-look-alike constellation. As part of this enquiry, all prices of the works on display are fixed in accordance with the inscrutable laws of the art economy and arranged in an easy-reference component list with accompanying article numbers.
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