Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent
2015
exhibition: "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent", Maria Stenfors Gallery, London
The core of the exhibition is a performative basketball tournament. Two masked teams dressed in identical outfits played a one-basket match, during which the problem was not only identifying enemies, but also allies. The whole thing, documented from a first person perspective, was included in the central part of the exhibition. Surrounded by objects, it created an installation deriving from the mechanics of stadium fan zones. This area is a dangerous place where fans watch with obsession and lust the conflict taking place on the pitch.
Maria Stenfors is delighted to present Norbert Delman’s first solo show at the gallery. Delman will transform the gallery space into three symbolic areas: the viewer is greeted with a photograph of a deflated ball masking a man’s face; then, a tournament area with a basketball net below which a video work displays a game involving two masked teams; and finally, a third zone comprising a grandstand for viewers to passively watch the conflict unfold.
Born in Poland in 1989, and a graduate of Miroslaw Balka’s studio in Warsaw, Delman explores how media and mass communication has created a generational rupture, with the fear of failure leading to the desire for transformation. The opposition between winning and losing has led Delman to examine ambition, rivalry, games and war, as well as the fear of failure and rejection. The use of signals, alarms and messages create warnings of an unknown terror, and heightens the sense of instability further. Panic arises in a climate where it is hard to determine who the ‘good guy’ is, the risks involved and where the power ultimately lies. Differences of perception create a climate where communication is ultimately impossible.
Delman’s placement of diverse media, such as video, sculpture, found objects, installation and performance, though initially seemingly schizophrenic, provides further evidence of the anxieties, tensions and multi-faceted nature of contemporary existence. The objects, and the pauses between them, create a sensory environment that is both personal and collective, evoking an emotional response of apprehension and disquiet.
I.P.C. 1/4, 7’24” 2015, metal fence, 24” LED screens 292 x 495 cm, screens
I.P.C. 1/4, 2015, video 7’24”, metal fence, 24”LED screens, 292 x 495 cm, "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
I.P.C. 1/4, 2015, video 7’24”, metal fence, 24”LED screens, 292 x 495 cm, "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
I.P.C. 2/4, 2015, foil prints, wood, speakers, tablet, screen, 59x200 cm & 70x51 cm, "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
I.P.C. 2/4, 2015, foil prints, wood, speakers, tablet, screen, 59x200 cm & 70x51 cm, "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
I.P.C. 2/4, 2015, foil prints, wood, speakers, tablet, screen, 59x200 cm & 70x51 cm, "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
I.P.C. 3/4, 2015, wood, inflatable pool, foam rollers, rotating amber eacon with magnetic base 120 x Ø 90 cm, "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
I.P.C. 3/4, 2015, wood, inflatable pool, foam rollers, rotating amber eacon with magnetic base 120 x Ø 90 cm, "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
I.P.C. 3/4, 2015, wood, inflatable pool, foam rollers, rotating amber eacon with magnetic base 120 x Ø 90 cm, "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
"Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent" exhibition view, Maria Stenfors Gallery, London, 2015, photo: Matthew Booth
Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent
2015
exhibition: "Illegal Personal Contact With An Opponent", Maria Stenfors Gallery, London
The core of the exhibition is a performative basketball tournament. Two masked teams dressed in identical outfits played a one-basket match, during which the problem was not only identifying enemies, but also allies. The whole thing, documented from a first person perspective, was included in the central part of the exhibition. Surrounded by objects, it created an installation deriving from the mechanics of stadium fan zones. This area is a dangerous place where fans watch with obsession and lust the conflict taking place on the pitch.
Maria Stenfors is delighted to present Norbert Delman’s first solo show at the gallery. Delman will transform the gallery space into three symbolic areas: the viewer is greeted with a photograph of a deflated ball masking a man’s face; then, a tournament area with a basketball net below which a video work displays a game involving two masked teams; and finally, a third zone comprising a grandstand for viewers to passively watch the conflict unfold.
Born in Poland in 1989, and a graduate of Miroslaw Balka’s studio in Warsaw, Delman explores how media and mass communication has created a generational rupture, with the fear of failure leading to the desire for transformation. The opposition between winning and losing has led Delman to examine ambition, rivalry, games and war, as well as the fear of failure and rejection. The use of signals, alarms and messages create warnings of an unknown terror, and heightens the sense of instability further. Panic arises in a climate where it is hard to determine who the ‘good guy’ is, the risks involved and where the power ultimately lies. Differences of perception create a climate where communication is ultimately impossible.
Delman’s placement of diverse media, such as video, sculpture, found objects, installation and performance, though initially seemingly schizophrenic, provides further evidence of the anxieties, tensions and multi-faceted nature of contemporary existence. The objects, and the pauses between them, create a sensory environment that is both personal and collective, evoking an emotional response of apprehension and disquiet.