dark

Sunday, May 1st 2022 at Espacio Phi in Málaga
José Manuel González Martínez @josemanuelgonzalezmartinez
Wenda Douma @adnew_amsterdam
Sabine Geierhos @die_farbquelle

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In this first artist collaboration the artists use the darkness of the studio space called ‘Espacio Phi’ in Málaga and invite the visitor on a ‘Journey through the dark’.

The creator of the space is the light artist José Manuel González Martínez, who in this collaboration translates his skills of ‘emotional geometry’ into the gentle composition that this video-wall installation encounters.

The soundtrack of this journey and its temporal dramaturgy is guided by a piece of instrumental music that Wenda Douma applied and contributed to earlier exhibitions in Amsterdam. Sounds of birds and of moving water open the sound journey and transform into a drum-based beat, intensifying the movement of the water and creating a crescendo that then turns into an electric solo guitar.

The harmony follows soft water sounds, the ebb and flow of the tides, up to its high keys. The viewer is invited to let it sink in — the sound leaves enough time to echo and allows you to slow down to the pace of a heartbeat. In a playful allegro the piano opens things up before the closing.

In minimalist detail, Sabine Geierhos’ paintings hang at the corner of the wall and are projected by the light video mapping. Influenced by outdoor painting, they reflect the local changes in Málaga and on the Costa del Sol that she experiences daily. Digital painting and effects of light and water create an abstract, atmospheric yet also figurative animation, which Geierhos created digitally and González then composed into a whole.

The journey refers not only to the daily sunrise and sunset, but to the possibilities of light in combination with water, which has its local references — Douma moved to southern Spain in 2021, Geierhos in 2020, and all three artists live in El Ejido.

The journey can of course be read as an analogy of the artists’ personal lives, and of life in general, as a spiritual journey — with the sea, the sun and the sky, as well as the birds, as constant companions, the bird acting as a particular guide for the viewer.

Darkness as both starting point and end point is constantly present, not only in the studio itself but as an important element in transcending life’s difficulties, and therefore as a creative resource for the artists. With its dark interior, Espacio Phi wants to contribute to the local art scene through its presence and this exhibition, and with the event it hopes not only to offer visitors a sense of identification with this sensual cinematic experience, but also to show its studio space and artwork to the public.