joseph scissorhands: Lina Iris Viktor: Mythic Time/Tens of Thousands of Rememberings

"This [house] has been preserved just as he [John Soane] left it. It feels like a cabinet of curiosities that really holds the sense of the lateral nature of time. It feels mythological in here; there’s a sense of myth even in the way that he displays his collection. These are the same kinds of themes that are running through my work consistently. The “Tens of Thousands of Rememberings” is because, to his credit or not, Soane collects mostly European-based classical artworks. And obviously, the stories I’m telling are not highly Eurocentric. There’s a particular historical canon that’s present in his collection and I’m adding a whole other kind of conversation that people have far less knowledge about." - Lina Iris Viktor.

I missed Lina Iris Viktor's recent exhibition at Pilar Corrias gallery but was determined to catch this complementary installation at the Sir John Soane's Museum which ran concurrently. I had not been back to the Sir John Soane's Museum in nearly a year. The last time was to see the great installation Visions in Porcelain by ceramicist Bouke de Vries based on William Hogarth's Rake's Progress paintings (here). I have not experienced any of Iris Viktor's work since the wonderful Ekow Eshun-curated In the Black Fantastic at the Hayward Gallery (here). The Sir John Soane's Museum is a veritable treasure trove of architectural objects housing thousands of such items and more in its collection. This exhibition Mythic Time/Tens of Thousands of Rememberings is in effect a dialogue between the past and present, between the cultures of Europe and northern Africa collected by Soane, and Iris Viktor's artistic visions of both a real and imagined sub-Saharan Africa in response. Visitors follow a trail throughout the house to find the locations in which Iris Viktor's works are nestled amongst Soane's permanent collection. Certain pieces of Iris Viktor's contemporary art really do sit in harmony with Soane's ancient artefacts and actually complement the collection. I'm thinking particularly of the golden thrones inspired by the Asante culture placed in the Sepulchral Chamber lower gallery space that contrast with the medieval period metal chairs collected by Soane which sit adjacent. Also in this space is Iris Viktor's sculpture Nbiru based on the pyramidal structures found in the mosques of Sahel and eastern Africa, created to complement the huge alabaster sarcophagus inhabiting the space which was built to hold the body of the Egyptian Pharaoh Seti. Moving up into the rooms above, the darkened Foyle Space houses temporary exhibitions, and it's here that another large Iris Viktor sculpture takes centre stage along with several of her signature paintings in 24 carat gold leaf featuring constellations and arcane patterns and symbols that create their own mythology. A surprise on this visit was discovering further gallery spaces on the upper floors of the museum displaying even more from Iris Viktor's oeuvre. I liked the use of red as a complementary background colour on which to display the mainly gold and white artworks in these rooms. highly tactile texture and pattern appeared to be the common formal elements linking these abstracted works which were layered in alternating strata like seams in the layers of the earth. They were created from combinations of raffia strips, silk worm cocoon pods, and again sheets of patterned gold. It was good to see a progression in Iris Viktor's work. She appears to be leaving photography behind for now and pursuing more sculptural and ceramic works as well as paintings which are becoming increasingly abstract. As with the Bouke de Vries installation, I really enjoyed the dialogues opened up between the historic objects of Soane's collection and the works of contemporary practitioner once again.