TALISMAN – Magical Objects
25 February – 10 September 2017
This exhibition presents a change of scene at CLAY. The artist group VERSUS has created a large-scale installation which orchestrates their ceramic objects as a coherent work of art. Within a ceramic context VERSUS presents an exhibition, which considers the old concept of the talisman and puts it auspicious into a contemporary context.
A talisman is a ‘magical object’, believed to hold the power to do something beneficial for its keeper. The talisman has been used in religious or ceremonial contexts throughout human history and indeed that of ceramics. In fact the world’s oldest known ceramic object is a 26,000 years old so-called ‘Venus-figurine’ which is considered a fertility talisman.
The idea that things can have special powers still continues today: for example, one might keep a lucky coin in a drawer, a special pendant on a necklace or recite a mantra to keep control of one’s equilibrium.
With set designs and the use of light and shadow VERSUS creates a multi-dimensional experience where visitors are invited into this world of magical objects.
VERSUS are Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Camille Rishøj Nielsen, Lea Mi Engholm, Mariko Wada and Sissel Wathne.