By creating we play with our understanding of basics. We de-construct, we theorise and we create new. We manipulate to create advantage.
A mechanism is a device designed to transform input forces and movement into a desired set of output forces and movement. Our bodies, arms, brain, legs, voices, etc. becomes mechanisms for movement. The combination of force and movement defines power, and we are designed to manage power in order to achieve a desired set of forces and movement.
In recent years the idea that life can be reduced to chemistry and physics has become very prominent in the life sciences. According to this idea, all living organisms, including human beings, are simply aggregates of molecules interacting in accordance with chemical and physical laws. This conception of life has found particular emphasis in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology, where the study of DNA, RNA, and the processes of protein synthesis have lent credence to the picture of the living cell as a molecular machine. In other words: Everything works together as a machine. Everything fits. Everything moves together. Everything needs to find balance. Everything works automatically…
Through moving images we have caught a glimpse of the physical laws, and a new perspective on how to perceive life and ourselves. No more hiding. Every wrinkle, spot, flaw or perfection is captured and dismantled. It started becoming a manipulation of the mechanical. The body of work is to draw attention to the fact that we have gone from capturing and copying movement to analysing the totality of how things move and work…
About the artist
Having completed his BA(FA) Honors in 2001 through UNISA and having exhibited internationally and locally in numerous solo and group exhibitions, Riaan van Zyl continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art and classical techniques and concepts.
Since the start of Riaan’s career, he has taken primary inspiration from everyday, ordinary ideas and his perception of things around him, effectively capturing its fascination and value with a de-constructed eye. At first glance his work looks abstract and confusing but the results have their own very personal syntax, punctuation and orchestration. They become almost a performance of movement rather than a standard drawing.
Exhibition opening – 22 May 2014. The exhibition runs until 30 May 2014.
For more on the artist visit: www.riaanvanzyl.com
