Silence can be seen as the absence of sounds or speaking, so it can be understood through absence. And at the same time, there’s presence of its potential as the other side of a dialogue. In a focused state, silence is the prospective in receiving a signal, whether it be from an intelligent side, or unalive parts of fluctuating matter of far galaxies and exoplanets. All the accurate research, insights and development of thought start from silence. It is the calming down, mindful state of connection, concentration, integration and going deeper into oneself. Silence has also the great power of healing and offering the best solutions.
After their respective studies, the Moscow-based artists Lia Schell and Anton Kraftsky have been working with for example graphics, sculpture and mural painting. ASTEROIDEA is a project born in 2015 in Northern Karelia, a place far from cities’ coil and filled with silent meditative atmosphere. The residency period at KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre in Ii in January 2020 is a logical continuation to the project. The title itself means a starfish as a hint on the ocean floor where all life on the planet came from, but also derives from the combination of the words Astero+Idea. At the end of their stay, Schell and Kraftsky will hold an exhibition at KulttuuriKauppila and the Ränni gallery in Oulu. The two-part exhibition will showcase previous works as well as pieces produced in Ii during the residency period and is the first exhibition of the ASTEROIDEA project.
The art object “In Silence” is an allusion to the latest NASA’s James Webb (JWST) infrared Space Telescope which is going to be launched in spring 2021 for observing early galaxies and exoplanets outside the Milky Way.
Sound art at the exhibition by Snezhana Reizen & Vadim Rumyantsev.
ASTEROIDEA: In Silence
KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre (Kauppilantie 15, 91100 Ii)
Opening on Thursday 23 January at 5PM
Exhibition open 24 January at 1–5PM and 27 January –30 January at 1–5PM
Galleria Ränni (Rautatienkatu 11, 90100 Oulu)
Opening on 26 January at 6PM
Exhibition open 27 January – 2 February
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