The exhibition Elective Affinity investigates death and organic decay. Joseph Agius discusses the concepts of the collaboration Duopunctumstudi.io with the two artists, Nadette Clare-Talbot and Caroline O’Callaghan.

JA: The title of the exhibition elicits Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe’s third novel Elective Affinities. It is also a term, originating from chemistry, which was used by important scientists like Robert Boyle, Antoine Lavoisier and Isaac Newton to define certain chemical reactions. The German author transposed its meaning as a metaphor for human relations and passions ensuing from human interactions. Where does this exhibition fit, if it indeed does, in this milieu? Was the title chosen with such considerations in mind?

NCT and COC: Von Goethe did indeed borrow the term from science as he explored the chemistry of human social relations; however, it was actually a later work from which we have drawn our inspiration. René Magrette’s 1933 painting of the same name established his fascination with the visual juxtaposition of two objects that were previously unrelated but yet have a visual affinity when placed together.

Nadette Clare-Talbot (left) and Caroline O’Callaghan

We wanted to explore this idea further by using sculptural still lifes and photography to create beautiful visuals that are incongruous yet simultaneously harmonious. The punctum in our collective’s name is also linked to this concept, as this was the term coined by Roland Barthes in Camera Lucida to describe the particular quality in some photographs that jars the viewer and makes a connection.

Elective Affinity is both the name of our exhibition and the name of the first piece in the collection. In this piece, we see a curiosity box lined in flowers. While this appears complete and natural at first glance, it quickly provokes the question of why they would be together, as an instant of reflection tells us that it is not natural for them to be together after all.

JA: As was declared in the exhibition’s mission statement, these are still lifes “captured in a photographic style more traditionally seen within classic portraiture”. The 12 limited-edition prints elicit Old Master paintings such as those of Jan Breughel the Elder for their crisp chromatic quality and the pervading sense of decadent beauty, suggested by the title Vanitas of one of the pieces. Living material is transformed into lifeless nature morte. Having served as inspiration to an artistic celebration of natural life, do you feel that this genre essentially celebrates death and organic decay?

NCT and COC: Death and organic decay were certainly critical themes expressed in the vanitas genre of Dutch Old Master paintings, although we would suggest that the vanitas paintings served less as a celebration of these themes and more as an admonishment.

Our piece, Vanitas, is named after this genre. These paintings were used explicitly to remind the viewer of the vanity of materialism. Cloche domes, which were frequently used within this genre, represented preservation and were often depicted with clocks or skulls. However, we have left the cloche jar empty, choosing instead to represent the subject with a digital image, which is also reflective of modern society’s obsession with our digital lives.

The dome is crowned with marigolds, which commonly decorate the calacas (skull or skeleton figures) during the annual Mexican Day of the Dead festival. Rather than celebrate death, Vanitas is intended to serve as a reminder of the transience of life.

There has always been some fascination with the depiction of decadence in art and the Old Master Split pair of Old Master John and Old Master Jane draws inspiration from this. Not only do these pieces convey the lush decadence you have referred to, they also tap into another common theme of the Dutch Old Masters, which was mortality.

There has always been some fascination with the depiction of decadence in art

By depicting subjects that wither and die, such as fruit or flowers, the artists effectively immortalised these subjects in their paintings. In Old Master Split, we see two arrangements that both contain classic 17th century floral blooms but with two very different visual personalities. The pieces’ decadence and kitschiness exude life but their transient subject matter is a memento mori, from the Latin phrase meaning “remember you must die”.

JA: Four of the prints are documentations of four sculptures also created by the Duo­punctumstudi.io collaboration between you. This two-fold representation is intriguing. Did you intend to create dialogue between the two art forms through alternative representation of the same subject via two different media? Are they meant to be complimentary?

NCT and COC: Duopunctumstudi.io creates work through the process of a creative journey, and in that sense, both of the art forms are part of the same process. All of the pieces start life as a visual concept which we work on together.

A three-dimensional sculpture is then developed from the concept, and this then forms the basis for an in-studio installation. The interplay between the various forms of media is an important part of our narrative. We hope to achieve this by capturing a three-dimensional subject in a two-dimensional image during a single moment in time. And that sculpture, image and moment are all carefully composed to deliver the punctum we strive for.

JA: Some of the juxtapositions are very ephemeral, somehow hinting towards the world of Marcel Duchamp. In his words: “To all appearances the artist acts like a mediumistic being who, from the labyrinth beyond time and space, seeks his way out to a clearing.” I feel that these works elicit that sort of Duchampian narrative. They also elicit a Joseph Cornell world of whimsical assemblages that juxtapose diverse narratives into a new possible alternative. Am I completely off target?

NCT and COC: That’s an interesting observation and we wouldn’t disagree. With their ‘readymade’ approaches, Duchamp and Cornell’s works raised the question of authorship and its relative importance. Although they did not necessarily create the underlying objects in the sculptures, they chose the items and placed them in a context which altered their meaning and, in the process, created art. Not only do we utilise readymade items, we also play with context, sometimes even placing the same object in multiple contexts.

Vanitas

In Eldorado Meadows, we play with the idea of scale and how that can change our perceived narrative around the same subject. In one image we see a house so overwhelming and intimidating that the viewer feels drawn into the padded walls. This is at odds with the second image, which is a small dolls house, curious in its saccharine presentation and abundant flowers.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that the viewer simply enjoys looking at any piece, whether that is because the art is aesthetically pleasing, strikes a visual chord or stirs an interesting thought or emotion. We hope as many people as possible will stop by the Lily Agius Gallery to enjoy Elective Affinity, each in their own very personal way.

Elective Affinity, hosted by Lily Agius Gallery of Cathedral Street, Sliema, is on until November 6.