unravelling encounters

Nicole Clift, Lucia Dohrmann, Sonja Porcaro & Meng Zhang

Curated by Suzanne Close

20 February - 10 March 2023

Light Square Gallery

To unravel is to investigate that which is perplexing, entangled and mysterious. The Gordian Knot was believed to be so elaborately intertwined that whoever could untie it would become the ruler of Asia. Alexander the Great, undeterred by the challenge, sliced through the knot with his sword, simultaneously undoing yet destroying the intricately fastened loops. Today the Gordian knot denotes an insurmountable problem that can only be solved through bold and decisive action. A symbol of conquering adversity.

Each of the artists in unravelling encounters has a nuanced material language that reveals the physical processes of undoing, remaking, gathering and unfolding. Their work alludes to a multiplicity of entangled meanings associated with the spiritual and psychological process of unravelling. This disentanglement can be an uncomfortable state of transition, as requires us to deconstruct tightly bound beliefs, but it is significant for our personal growth and development.

This exhibition proposes a series of dialogues between the artworks as a way of unravelling their potential insights. The relationships created through the juxtaposition of these works in the curatorial display, draw attention to their aesthetic and conceptual connections and create tensions between the process of making the works and the audience encountering them. Like the Gordian knot, it is only when something becomes undone that we reconstruct it in a meaningful way.

There is a broader sense of social and political unravelling at this point in time, or perhaps a loosening of ideological threads and questioning of power structures. Through our collective unravelling, we have the potential to develop a deeper perception of ourselves and weave new narratives.