OF THE OTHER TOMORROW
THOMAS ZIPP
November / December 2015
For his first solo exhibition in Copenhagen at Avlskarl Gallery, Thomas Zipp presents a new series of paintings.
As the exhibitions title Of the other tomorrow which is an Allusion to Sun Ras Song of the same name, already suggests, in this body of works Zipp is focused on the significance and implications of human future visions.
Zipp, who is known for his intense engagement with science, religion, history and philosophy, is asking here for the characteristics of human hubris and its ambiguous benefits, whereby he is showing his obsession with neurological research once again, reflecting the own artistic position and considers the own mind as a test subject. With this approach, to always questioning for the possibilities of the artistic work and bending its boundaries to scientific research, Zipp developed an art of transgression, which is truly unique. In his artistic method of a „narrative conceptualism“, Zipp is attaching great importance to the materials and colors on the one hand while dealing with scientific theories on the other hand.
For Of the other tomorrow, he experimented with pigments like Aluminium and Magnesium to achieve certain colour effects. In his paintings Zipp is working with different techniques he brings together in a sort of layering, which also visualizes the different theoretical matters he integrates in his work. A few large-sized paintings of abstractions of classical motifs such as trees, buildings, landscapes are flanked by a series of portraits. In some of the paintings a silkscreened grid in the background is visible. By combining figurative elements with mathematical models, Zipp is reflecting the scientific approach of psychophysics to acquire mental phenomenons and interhuman relations with systematical measurement methods and rasters.
Zipp is continuing his exploration with medicine historical questions concerning neurological research, here especially the psychological research areas in psychophysics, of which the founder was Karl Theodor Fechner, to which the portraits are dedicated to. With empty eyes the heads on the portraits are observing the scenery; the eyes as a feature of modern subjectivity are missing. The modern idea of a consistent personality and its contradictions, including the perpetual fascination of being subjectless, is one of Zipps main topics. While this is also the tension the artist himself is positioned between, the portraits could be considered to be self-portraits as well. Likewise Of the other tomorrow could be considered as Zipps own future vision in terms of painting, which he is examining with neuropsychological measuring methods at the same time.