What invisible worlds lie hidden in our subconscious?
The artworks of Isabel Cavenecia and Shani Leseman arise from what goes on inside them. Both artists work mostly intuitively, avoiding any preconceived ideas. This often manifests itself in acrylic and oil paintings, ceramic sculptures, and soft pastel drawings. Works of art full of symbolism, in which hands, boats, mirrors, or doors and figures lead you to other realities. Like parallel worlds, the afterlife but also worlds that run through ours; the world of your dreams, ghosts, things you don’t physically see in our world.
Cavenecia and Leseman are interested in the spiritual: that which cannot always be perceived concretely or with senses, but which can be experienced. From card readers predicting the future to talismans with magical powers. But shamanism, magic, out-of-body experiences, and astral travel (traveling to parallel universes) also influence their art practice.
At POST, the artists collaborate on an installation that includes reflections, shadows, and doors. They are diverse imaginings of portals to worlds invisible to us. Cavenecia and Leseman show that these invisible worlds can coexist and their installation suggests that travelling between these different realities is possible.
The name Symbiosis Series is derived from the phenomenon of symbiosis: the prolonged and harmonious coexistence of two or more organisms of different species, whereby coexistence in itself is beneficial or even necessary. This exhibition format provides two artists with space, resources, and support to experiment and create new work. Participating artists are encouraged to interact with one another in various ways, similar to the natural process of symbiosis. During this interaction exchange and collaboration are possible, while (re)shaping the individual practice. The artists are free to experiment, explore, and break up their modus operandi. It is a collaborative process where artists previously unknown to each other exchange visions, working methods, and vim and vigor. Symbiosis Series VII will present works by Shani Leseman and Isabel Cavenecia.