London, 6 April – 18 May, 2008




IBID PROJECTS is presenting ‘I Remember Nothing’, the first UK solo show of Brussels-based artist Helmut Stallaerts. Stallaerts’ work addresses themes such as the place of ideology in a secularly organised society, the estrangement of people from their own beliefs, and the possibility of individualism in the face of new technologies and means of communication. His paintings and drawings build up a vision of a world filled with dilemma and intrigue, where individuals veil themselves behind masks and where human relationships are swiftly negotiated from the screen of a virtual reality headset.

Staellarts’ works at times in a theatrical style reminiscent of figures such as James Ensor and Otto Dix. At the centre of the exhibition is his large-scale diptych ‘Commodification’ (2008). The first panel depicts a circle of schoolchildren, divided into boys and girls. They stand gathered around the outside of a giant opaque sphere. Dressed in shorts and rucksacks some appear to be cheering. One jumps in the air whilst another enthusiastically waves a red scarf above his head. A second canvas features another representation of the same cubed, white space. Here there is again a globe, but this time covered in a grid of streaming red digits, possibly calculations from a table of stock prices or a computerised spreadsheet. Inside the sphere is an older man, suited but barefoot, who sits on a wooden restraining chair, hands gripping the sides, his eyes covered by a glowing electronic visor.

As in many works from Stallaerts’ practice, the artist asks what might the relationship be between these two groups of disparate people? Who is controlling who?, and could these images be two halves of the same situation? In a similar way to how altarpieces or history paintings used to function as storytelling devices for the common man or woman, so Stallaerts’ charged narratives can be seen to offer up allegorical meaning or even indication of guidance. They are created so that the protagonists could almost be anyone: the artist, the businessman, the bureaucrat, the everyman.

Also in the exhibition are a series of drawings exploring further themes and ideas. A group of five works on paper are studies from the series ‘Eschaton’ which looks at visual representations of fear during a person’s life, whilst the painting ‘Labyrinth’ acts like a relic, made on the surface of animal bone.

Helmut Stallaerts graduated from the Kunstakademie, Dusseldorf in 2005. Past solo exhibitions include ‘Pan-Optic’ (2007) at Johnen + Schöttle, Cologne, ‘Eschaton’ (2005) at OneTwenty Gallery, Ghent and ‘Helmut Stallaerts’ (2008) at Be-Part, West-Vlaanderen. Group shows include ‘In den Alpen’ (2006) at Kunsthaus Zurich, ‘Dark Dreams II’ (2006) at Johnen + Schöttle, Cologne and ‘The Leading Thread’ (2007) at Centro de Arte Caja de Burgos, Burgos.

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IBID PROJECTS
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London E2 9DG, UK
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