Magic Materialism

As humans, we consist of both spirit and matter, and magical materialism utilizes, among other things, the term “bodymind”, which describes the chiastic entanglement of these two layers of consciousness through a fundamental trust in our sensations. If we only understand ourselves as matter, as bodies in a physical world, we only exist in a given place at a given time. But if, on the other hand, body and spirit are brought into an actively reflective connection, a magical superstructure is created.

In the exhibition, magical materialism becomes a way of creating a connection between spirit and matter, and in this process, language plays a pivotal role. “I can’t see myself” appears repeatedly in the exhibition, which appeared before Kalsmose during hypnosis. Both physiologically, as Kalsmose was in a changed state of mind, but also philosophically and spiritually. Because if you can’t see yourself, how do you find out who you are? Kalsmose explores this sense of blindness by connecting with her own as well as our collective history through hypnosis. The result is the series Universal Blindness, which consists of a number of paper and concrete works, each bearing statements printed in Braille. The blocks appear familiar, as architectural reminiscences from previous empires, and at the same time as blocks of knowledge, outside of time and space.

Magic Materialism is fundamentally about seeing; seeing ourselves, seeing the world as well as seeing behind the reality that consists only of matter, and through our inner vision catch sight of the invisible reality, where I am part of we, and we are part of the co-thinking body of the world. The exhibition also presents works from Mille Kalsmose’s recognized series Collected Memory, which is an on-going network of sculptural installations that houses an archive as well as a database of the participants’ ideas, visions and hopes. Collected Memoryis an archive of humanity’s shared visions, a world diary, our collective history.

Mille Kalsmose (b. 1972) is a Danish visual artist. Kalsmose graduated from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and studied at the Bio Art Lab, School of Visual Arts, in New York. Kalsmose’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, most recently at the 59th Venice Biennale and Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg. Kalsmose’s work is represented in several private and public collections, including Horsens Art Museum, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art, MANA Contemporary in the States, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chile.