Behavioral Sink

Since the start of the century, our attention has been directed to the need to be more fluid — it is preached that in times of dynamic change, it will become a valuable tool for managing everyday life. With the capitalist work rhythm dictating the tempo of everyday life, a hypnotic state can be reached that is as though gazing at the ceaseless flow of water. The sculpting of this formless substance is the primary material common denominator for the works created for the exhibition. Drawn in a whirlpool of the mass of various rules, consumer illusions, and systems, the viewer is invited to explore the environment in which the artist untangles deeply personal yet, at the same time, socially descriptive experiences that are hidden behind a dreamy yet fragile shroud. The threads of contradiction and incomprehension are reflected not only in the world of ideas but also in the manifestly visible — surprising variety of states of water. Fictional events and uncomfortable truths will serve as an invitation to catch the waves of self- and other reflections. In the socially critical spirit characteristic of Mūrnieks’ work, this series will also investigate and reconsider the shortcuts of perception automated by consciousness. Last summer, Miķelis Mūrnieks earned a master’s degree at the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam with the work Fountain. This work will serve as the nucleus of the exhibition, which will be elaborated with a new series of sculptural novels and extensive scenography