Dysmetropsia is a neurological situation that distorts dimension and notion, usually inflicting objects to seem smaller or bigger than they are surely. Additionally referred to as Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, the dysfunction is the premise of a disorienting exhibition by Berlin-based duo Elmgreen & Dragset.
Collaborating since 1995, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset are behind a slew of iconic works, maybe most famously the full-sized boutique in the midst of the Texan desert often known as “Prada Marfa.” This vacation spot set up is consultant of the artist’s enduring curiosity in recontextualizing seemingly widespread objects to discover how our interpretation and notion change.
For his or her exhibition at Tempo Gallery in Los Angeles—their first solo present within the metropolis—the duo continues this line of inquiry. The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome opens with a silicone gallery attendant dozing on her desk, an undrunk cup of espresso and stack of books close by. Just like the adventurous story it references, the large-scale present invitations viewers to ask whether or not what unfolds is actual or all a hallucinatory dream.
Farther inside is a collection of white marble figures recreated on two totally different scales. Sporting headphones and VR headsets, these nondescript characters seem perpetually distracted and immersed of their applied sciences of selection. On the gallery partitions is a group of round works from the artist’s Sky Goal collection, which varies mirrors and cloudy expanses in stripes or concentric rings. These patterned items replicate the large, open house and fragments of the sculptures, albeit by a distorted view.
As we collectively grapple with the unusual, usually regarding results of residing in an more and more digital world, Elmgreen & Dragset immediate us to think about how bodily presence shapes our understanding and may result in an uncanny expertise all by itself.
The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is on view by October 25. Discover extra of the artists’ work on the gallery’s web site.
