Press Release

Stalke Galleri opens its doors for the reception of an exhibition by Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen and Nikolaj Recke on Friday, August 25th, 4 - 8 pm.

Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen will be presenting her latest video Edita, Aida & Terista. This piece is a realistic depiction of everyday events as seen through the documentary-like portrayal of three Filipino women on a shopping spree in Copenhagen. In contrast to a ‘true’ documentary, however, the artist does not hide her presence behind the camera. This becomes apparent in the piece through a sense of integrated understanding by the artist of the women’s enthusiasm and humor.

The second piece by Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen is an installation, an oasis in which the feminine universe is extended. It is a dream-world — a breathing space distinct from everyday life — which the artist has created based on her Lili-Stories. In this dream-world, the spectator can lean back comfortably on amorphous cloud-sculptures and gaze around the space, where large drawings and the video Little Brown Sack extend this playful and fantastical universe.

Nikolaj Recke is showing minimalistic photos of empty gallery spaces. On closer inspection, however, these black-and-white photos turn out to be a composition of two spaces — spaces that are well-known to art connoisseurs as the art establishment’s significance-laden ‘White Cubes.’ The photographs contain a number of associations with the spectator’s own experiences of these spaces. At the same time, they simply and concretely create a new space in which the artist has left a way out — both metaphorically and literally — within the field of vision.

The fact that the spaces are empty raises the question of whether it is the art establishment’s framing of the experience of an art piece that defines the artist’s profile, or whether, on the other hand, it is the pieces of art in the exhibiting space that define the gallery’s profile.

The empty space reoccurs in an installation by Nikolaj Recke, which consists of a ring on the floor that the artist has created by walking the same circular path endlessly, with the footprints delineating the circle. The piece seems to invite the spectator to walk the same path. By doing so, the ring offers a clear sensation of the mental condition of speculations and reflections that created this ring, further enhancing the sense of reflective space.

Reflection on spatiality is also a key element in Nikolaj Recke’s last piece, which is created by primitive, homemade electric bulbs that (feebly) attempt to light up the space. This light source is made from simple everyday materials — household jars of different shapes and sizes.

Nikolaj Recke’s creation of the basic premises for the ‘individual universe’ parallels the way a universe for contemplation is created. On one hand, it stems from his newly created spaces and his circular ‘universe of thought.’ On the other hand, it stems from Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen’s world of familial integrity and imaginative Lili-Stories. It is in this contemplative universe that fantasies, reflections, and broodings are given space.

Tine Bundgaard, Copenhagen, August 14th, 2000

For further information concerning this exhibition, please contact Stalke Galleri at +45 33 21 15 33 or stalke@stalke.dk.

The exhibition will be open until and including September 23rd, 2000.

Review

Ambitious Young Talents

Lilibeth Cuenca creates curious documentaries, while Nikolaj Recke goes in circles.

It’s a somewhat young art constellation currently on display at Stalke Gallery. Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen and Nikolaj Recke are both young, talented artists, whose work is manifested both nationally and internationally. Their work spans a wide range of media, yet their approach remains understated. However, the similarities don’t end there.

Recke works in many different media. His situationally critical elements are often visually understated but deliver a poignant commentary that is elegantly articulated in the viewer’s consciousness. Cuenca, on the other hand, has her own unique brand, which is more personal and psychological. Hence, her exploration of family structures draws from her own multifaceted and multicultural background, focusing primarily on cultural encounters and clashes.

The juxtaposition of these two artists doesn't seem particularly obvious, and the exhibition leans more towards the feel of separate presentations rather than a shared curatorial project.

The most successful aspect of Cuenca's section consists of drawings, sculptures, and videos. Edita, Aida & Terista is the title of Cuenca’s central video about three Filipino women shopping in Copenhagen. The handcrafted, documentary character of her videos communicates a personal, camera-focused artistry, breaking the illusion of objectivity.

Some of Cuenca’s earlier works were about herself as an artist performing different roles, but here, the focus shifts. The short, precise videos are infused with a straightforward, observational approach that also reflects on the invisible aspects of human existence. The shopping bags in her hand signify “bahu puhit” (literally “smelly buttocks”), meaning "unwanted leftovers" (though this doesn’t apply in this case).

It is often the small details in Cuenca’s works that, through her own warmth and wit, provide us with a brief glimpse into an otherwise closed world. With a strong mix of new art and subjective starting points, Cuenca manages to take the private and transform it into social relations of general relevance.

Lili Stories
Cuenca’s drawings for the series Lili Stories unfold in a simple, stylized style that reflects everyday and dream-like situations. They are almost like comic strips, but instead unfold as individual, stand-alone drawings. Delicate skylines, merging forms, and elongated narratives create unique, detailed universes.

Recke’s section is harder to grasp. The most prominent piece in the exhibition, Pacing in Circles, consists of a circle traced across the gallery’s walls. The interior circle refers to real circles created by fences around natural spaces in Denmark, including one at his childhood home in Gilleleje, which is documented through photographs.

The artist allegedly created the circles by walking repeatedly in circles, which perhaps reflects an ironic commentary on going nowhere. A series of black-and-white photographs, collage-style digital images, and other works hang in the gallery space. Borrowing inspiration from Ludwig Wittgenstein and the Saatchi Gallery, Recke’s works come across as understated and developed with a subtle, situational critique.

While Cuenca digs into anthropology and social relationships, Recke explores the meaning of nothingness, or so it seems. Questions remain unanswered, and we don't quite know whether Recke’s works are fully represented in this exhibition.

Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen & Nikolaj Recke

Stalke Gallery, Vestergade 14, Copenhagen. until September 23.

By Rune Gade