Stress tested

Violinists experience a phenomenon in which sweat from their fingers causes the strings of their instrument to uncoil and fragment. Perspiration is aggressive; cleaning cannot stop the breakdown as moisture enters the aluminium and begins the unwinding. The speed of corrosion is affected by the chemical makeup of the musician’s perspiration, and on how hard they grasp. The corrosion of the metal starts internally, like decay destroying a tooth from the inside out, set in motion the moment the string is first struck. Public Gallery is pleased to present Stress tested, a group exhibition that centres around the notion of pressure. Bringing together a range of media and approaches, the 12 artists featured in this presentation utilise primitive or restrained movement, firm or gentle force alongside honest, unwavering gestures. Their subject matter and medium are worked to the limit, and the unintended consequences of their undoing form new physicalities and dialogues.