Exhibition

Half a Life | Timotheus Tomicek

In 1914, the composer Arnold Schoenberg held the view that a formation of coloured clouds against a blue sky was the sign of an upcoming catastrophe. More than one hundred years later, coloured cloud formations have become the symbol of disembodied power: they announce imminent disaster. With this realisation, Schoenberg’s gloomy interpretation has inevitably become a part of everyday life.

‘Half a life’ is a solo show by Austrian artist Timotheus Tomicek about the invisibility of power. It takes the mathematical concept t1⁄2 as a way to understand the world as a whole. For the past few months, Tomicek has produced new works as an artistic response to the concept of half-life. Aiming to visualise the immaterial, the works exceed measurements of time and place, and examine the fragmented reality of both elements.

Stemming from old Greek philosophy, Tomicek furthermore plays with the idea that every part needs a counterpart. In his work he implies the thought that complementation between two parts are necessary in order to create a unifying whole. In this sense, one could never obtain harmony without tension – just like there exists no day without night.

He asks himself questions such as how can we understand our human life in relation to the time ticking away? And what does it mean to document that which we cannot literally see? By introducing conflicting notions of time and spatiality, Tomicek offers insight into the cultural collapse and crisis of linear time structures.

About the artist

Timotheus Tomicek is an Austrian artist based in Vienna. He studied at the film academy in Vienna and Paris, and followed a masterclass in cinematography in Budapest in 2005. His work has been shown in international solo exhibitions, at Kunstverein Recklinghausen (DE); Sage Galerie (FR); Jenkins Johnson Gallery (US); Galleri Image Arhus (DK); Kunsthalle Wien (AT) among others. Recent group exhibitions include Lentos Kunstmuseum (AT); Museum der Moderne Salzburg (AT); F/Stop Leipzig (DE). Important in his work is the establishment of people in the world and how thoughts and emotions create a whole. Tomicek is photographer, but does not limit his work to one medium but expands still images with videos and installations.

About Eline Kersten

Eline Kersten is an independent artist and curator from the Netherlands. She recently completed an MFA in Curating at Goldsmiths University in London, after graduating from a Bachelor in Fine Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts & Design in Maastricht. Eline mostly researches the extraordinary in the daily lives and stresses the importance of the short moments. Recent curated projects include ‘The Everyman’ at Greylight Projects, Brussels (B); ‘Slow Accident’ at Nieuw Dakota, Amsterdam (NL); ‘The Apartment Series #2: a love affair’ in Zürich (CH); ‘from the middle finger tip to the elbow bottom’ at Cubitt Gallery, London (UK).

Website Timotheus Tomicek 
Website Eline Kersten