Moments from Műcsarnok, Budapest, Hungary where two installations by Žilvinas Kempinas were presented

From 27th September until 2nd November 2014 Műcsarnok – Budapest Kunsthalle - the centre of contemporary Hungarian fine art presents two installations by the Lithuanian-born artist Žilvinas Kempinas.

 

Kempinas uses magnetic tapes from video cassettes in almost all of his installations, which fill the exhibition spaces, take them over in their entirety. Originally a medium to store sequences of images, the tape is objectified in Kempinas’ three-dimensional works, becomes a line drawn in space.

 

Employing a minimalist apparatus, the ephemeral, yet monumental works are so weightless they are almost non-existent, as in the case of the Fifth Wall that is raised in M0. The parallel order of the thin black tapes, originally a recording media for pictures and sound, has a different appearance from every angle; air currents keep changing the installation, lending an impressionistic character to the constantly vibrating work. First presented in Japan in 2011, at the Yokohama Triennial, Fifth Wall has now been adapted by the artist for the space of M0. Fountain, the installation from the collection of Lewben Art Foundation, a motor-driven kinetic work can also be seen in Műcsarnok. The bundle of black magnetic tapes is kept in constant motion by an electric fan, gaining the appearance of a living organism.

 

Curator – Lívia Rózsás