Under the title “How do you feel?” the Melbye-Konan Gallery will exhibit artworks by wood sculptor Aron Demetz in dialogue with painter Ngoye in a Duo-exhibition on 400 square meters from December 9, 2022 to February 18, 2023.
The renowned artist Aron Demetz has had a number of international and museum group and solo exhibitions in Europe, Asia and the USA. He was selected for the 53rd and this year's 59th Venice Biennale.
Ngoye graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Abidjan and impresses with his lively neo-expressionist compositions. Ngoye's works can be found in renowned private and public collections, among others the Imago Mundi - Luciano Benetton Collection.
With this exhibition the gallery aims to provoke the viewers’ honest feelings and emotions. Both Demetz and Ngoye seek to deconstruct and reassemble already existing things in order to reveal the naked and sometimes brutal truth. It is not a matter of the familiar aesthetics but rather demands to open up to the works and their intentions:
"Since art breaks with conventions and represents something truly new, it cannot be compared with the known aesthetic norms. It challenges and provokes, because that is the only way to push the boundaries of perception, and that is the only way to innovate.” (Christian Boros)
During the process of creating, Ngoye tries to analyze the inner state of mind of people which is often very different from what is worn on the outside. Faces that were distorted into masks are indicators for hidden psychosocial phenomena and human dynamics and are thus also transmitted to the attentive viewer. Additionally, the question of identity marks Ngoye’s works: Who am I? How am I adapting to my surrounding? And how is the surrounding affecting me as an individual?
The subtle way in which Demetz's figures interact with the spectator makes his art unique. The statues are simply standing there, but their expressions are mesmerizing. The artist places most emphasis on the serene, inward gaze of his figures. By doing this, the figure engages the audience in conversation. Looking into the somber, human-like eyes of his creations may be almost unpleasant. Ultimately, the figures that truly capture our attention most are those in which we are unable to fully discern the facial expression.
Together, the artists' deconstructions and reshapings produce a captivating setting that that presents fragments of reality in an authentic and truthful way.
