Peter Eudenbach: This is Not an Object

Event Details

Peter Eudenbach: This is Not an Object is on view at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art from October 21 - December 10, 2016.

This is Not an Object consist of objects that blur the line boundary between the functional and the farcical, as Eudenbach examines the relationship between concept and reality. Such an exploration can be seen in the artist's Coffee Table, 2004, which is an actual coffee table that brews coffee. Other works, such as Tours de Revolution, 2007, a Ferris wheel constructed out of models of the Eiffel Tower, explore the idea of using readymade objects as works of art usually pushed to absurd levels. The exhibition's title, This is Not an Object refers to the iconic painting The Treachery of Images, 1928-29 by surrealist Renee Magritte, in which a depiction of a pipe is accompanied by the caption "Ceci n'est pas uno pipe' ["This is not a pipe"]. With this connection, Eudenbach's show asks the question: "How is an object supposed to function?"

The exhibition will also feature one of Eudenbach's latest works, Jurassic Serenade, 2016. In this work, which consists of different elements in various media, Eudenbach used a fossilized cricket to determine the sound it would produce. He mapped the pulse envelope of this sound, and he then carved a three-dimensional representation of the sound out of amber, a material commonly known for preserving insects and other artifacts from prehistoric eras. The work is displayed in along with a sound element created by Alfredo Martin.