Presence. Exhibition by Conor Ralphs (South Africa) and collaboration with Angelo Ferrara (Italy)

Presence

Exhibition by Conor Ralphs (South Africa) and collaboration with Angelo Ferrara (Italy)

… [the] atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand…

Lawrence Krauss

We are all migrants. Our ancestors were foreigners and our existence on earth is the result of the migration of matter – and probably also of life – from the stars. These are the starting points; this exhibition is about the connection between cosmology and migration under the title of presence. It offers some observations about human migration – illicit travel in particular – and suggests a wider connection to a migrating impulse in other spheres of life.  Migration can be seen as an expression of freedom, an exploratory gesture, a move away from persecution and a move towards a better life or the idea of one. It can follow patterns in the weather, in the stars, economic patterns and patterns of struggle. It describes the movement from one presence to another. The trace and condition of this movement and these presences – and their connection to the cosmos – is the central theme behind this work.

Conor Ralphs is an International Grant resident at Hangar from Greatmore Studios in Cape Town South Africa. This exhibition is a culmination of work on the theme of migration and astronomy over the past year, which has been completed during the residency.

*The residency has been subsidized by Casa Africa.

Angelo Ferrara, a sound and installation artist from Milan, was awarded a residency at Hangar for his entry to the Kernel festival in Italy. His work explores notions of consciousness through the use of sound and interactive environments.