Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics ... · Reading sci-fi literature and comics...

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Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics (Stathis Tsemberlidis & David Lander) Graphics House, Copenhagen, 7-28 March 2020 Project description: I am a Greek artist living and working in Copenhagen since 2007. I work with drawings and printed media as well as film and installation. A lot of my work is made in collaboration with David Lander (UK) under the artist collective name Decadence Comics. Our artistic practices are much influenced by the political act of self-publishing and diy culture found in the under- ground European and American comic scene of the 70’s. Reading sci-fi literature and comics from Europe and Japan gave us a desire to escape the limited opportunities and constraints of commercial publishing and pushed us into self-publishing where we could hold control of work from the inception of ideas to the final presentation. The idea of the sci-fi anthology ‘Decadence’ began in a cheap and easy to produce format in which we were able to develop our work and experiment with the short story framework, while it also provided a platform and place for the exchange of ideas with other contributing artists. We used recycled off-white paper, printing in black and white with minimal design work and information, echoing the cheap manga anthologies in Japan. In our recent work we have experimented with the idea of how a comic story is presented, using titles and design sen- sibilities that are closer to a scientific study. I use a pulpy recycled paper with a strange odor often with the title of an obscure scientific term or planet designation number, making the book seem like a bizarre artifact from another world. David Lander presents ideas using an alternative publishing imprint ‘Decadence University Press’ appropriating the aesthetics of an academic institution. While the titles of these publications can be overly descriptive and specific, the wordless interior stories can give an ambiguous snapshot into other places, like watching lost documentary footage that traverses through deep time. We are interested in non-conventional narratives where the stories trip between the abstraction of human bodies, evo- lutionary theories, organic imagery, spacemen, vast landscapes and crystalline shapes all filtered through the prism of socio-political science fiction. Most stories are set in an apocalyptic future and are concerned with humanity’s evolution and possible escape routes from a destructive Manichean present. There is a distance in the stories that gives a feel of looking into a far-off world, yet there are familiar elements that echo our shared past, present and future. Gestural linework with attention to detail and repetitive patterns of pointillistic noise cover the characters and land- scapes creating a notion of movement and decay. The panel design and arrangement as well as the use of negative space, suggest a unified and film like look to the stories. For the exhibition at the Danish Graphics House, we will make an installation where the audience can explore the various possibilities of alternative storytelling and self-publishing. We will use the wall spaces to present a selection of our original drawings, showing some of the processes of our practice, alongside an area where people can handle and read a selection of comics. The audience can freely navi- gate the space and take a closer look at all the different books, paper qualities and printing techniques that have been used for the production of the publications. In connection with the exhibition we will do an artist talk about Self-publishing as well as A screening of a selection of our film and animation work. We are interested in presenting different ways of looking at comics and using them to provoke critical thought. The Danish Graphic House is an exhibition space where graphic art meet the public. It is run by an association which comprises 225 professional graphic artists. The objective is to increase the exposure of graphic art and promote inter- est and knowledge of graphic art through exhibitions and other activities such as: Meetings, lectures and symposiums with colleagues from similar societies in other countries. http://www.tcj.com/two-intersecting-visions-decadence/ http://kopenhagen.dk/artguide/single/article/transmutation-of-human-dwellings-and-flora/ https://momentum9.no/contributor/stathis-tsemberlidis/ http://www.meterspace.dk/stathis-tsemberlidis/ http://kopenhagen.dk/artguide/single/article/where-other-creatures-put-their-eyes/

Transcript of Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics ... · Reading sci-fi literature and comics...

Page 1: Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics ... · Reading sci-fi literature and comics from Europe and Japan ... lutionary theories, organic imagery, spacemen, vast landscapes

Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics (Stathis Tsemberlidis & David Lander)Graphics House, Copenhagen, 7-28 March 2020

Project description:

I am a Greek artist living and working in Copenhagen since 2007. I work with drawings and printed media as well as film and installation. A lot of my work is made in collaboration with David Lander (UK) under the artist collective name Decadence Comics.

Our artistic practices are much influenced by the political act of self-publishing and diy culture found in the under-ground European and American comic scene of the 70’s. Reading sci-fi literature and comics from Europe and Japan gave us a desire to escape the limited opportunities and constraints of commercial publishing and pushed us into self-publishing where we could hold control of work from the inception of ideas to the final presentation.

The idea of the sci-fi anthology ‘Decadence’ began in a cheap and easy to produce format in which we were able to develop our work and experiment with the short story framework, while it also provided a platform and place for the exchange of ideas with other contributing artists. We used recycled off-white paper, printing in black and white with minimal design work and information, echoing the cheap manga anthologies in Japan.

In our recent work we have experimented with the idea of how a comic story is presented, using titles and design sen-sibilities that are closer to a scientific study. I use a pulpy recycled paper with a strange odor often with the title of an obscure scientific term or planet designation number, making the book seem like a bizarre artifact from another world. David Lander presents ideas using an alternative publishing imprint ‘Decadence University Press’ appropriating the aesthetics of an academic institution. While the titles of these publications can be overly descriptive and specific, the wordless interior stories can give an ambiguous snapshot into other places, like watching lost documentary footage that traverses through deep time.

We are interested in non-conventional narratives where the stories trip between the abstraction of human bodies, evo-lutionary theories, organic imagery, spacemen, vast landscapes and crystalline shapes all filtered through the prism of socio-political science fiction.Most stories are set in an apocalyptic future and are concerned with humanity’s evolution and possible escape routes from a destructive Manichean present. There is a distance in the stories that gives a feel of looking into a far-off world, yet there are familiar elements that echo our shared past, present and future.

Gestural linework with attention to detail and repetitive patterns of pointillistic noise cover the characters and land-scapes creating a notion of movement and decay. The panel design and arrangement as well as the use of negative space, suggest a unified and film like look to the stories.

For the exhibition at the Danish Graphics House, we will make an installation where the audience can explore the various possibilities of alternative storytelling and self-publishing.We will use the wall spaces to present a selection of our original drawings, showing some of the processes of our practice, alongside an area where people can handle and read a selection of comics. The audience can freely navi-gate the space and take a closer look at all the different books, paper qualities and printing techniques that have been used for the production of the publications.

In connection with the exhibition we will do an artist talk about Self-publishing as well as A screening of a selection of our film and animation work. We are interested in presenting different ways of looking at comics and using them to provoke critical thought.

The Danish Graphic House is an exhibition space where graphic art meet the public. It is run by an association which comprises 225 professional graphic artists. The objective is to increase the exposure of graphic art and promote inter-est and knowledge of graphic art through exhibitions and other activities such as: Meetings, lectures and symposiums with colleagues from similar societies in other countries.

http://www.tcj.com/two-intersecting-visions-decadence/http://kopenhagen.dk/artguide/single/article/transmutation-of-human-dwellings-and-flora/https://momentum9.no/contributor/stathis-tsemberlidis/http://www.meterspace.dk/stathis-tsemberlidis/http://kopenhagen.dk/artguide/single/article/where-other-creatures-put-their-eyes/

Page 2: Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics ... · Reading sci-fi literature and comics from Europe and Japan ... lutionary theories, organic imagery, spacemen, vast landscapes

Detail from David Lander’s Geo/fungi, A4 zine, riso printed with red ink on Pale Yellow paper, 2016Decadence Comics, Transmutations of Human Dwellings and Flora, X and Beyond, Copenhagen, Dk, 2016

Decadence Comics, Transmutations of Human Dwellings and Flora, mixed media, video projection loop, living plants, wooden platforms,Installation view from the Decadence exhibition at X and Beyond, Copenhagen, Dk, 2016

Page 3: Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics ... · Reading sci-fi literature and comics from Europe and Japan ... lutionary theories, organic imagery, spacemen, vast landscapes

Front cover from Stathis Tsembelidis Panspermia, A4 zine, riso printed with blue ink on Pale Yellow paper, 2016

Stathis Tsemberlidis, Selection of A5 zines, digital printed on recycled paper, 2019

Page 4: Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics ... · Reading sci-fi literature and comics from Europe and Japan ... lutionary theories, organic imagery, spacemen, vast landscapes

Stathis Tsemberlidis, Transmutations of Human Bodies and Flora, ink drawings on walls, ink drawings on paper, wood, metal, plexi glass,Installation view from the Momentum 9, Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art exhibition at House of Foundation, Moss, Nor 2017

Detail from the Momentum 9 exhibition, Stathis Tsemblerldis, Transmutations of Human Bodies and Flora, 27.5x41cm, ink on paper, 2017

Page 5: Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics ... · Reading sci-fi literature and comics from Europe and Japan ... lutionary theories, organic imagery, spacemen, vast landscapes

David Lander, Front cover from Geo/fungi, A4 zine, riso printed with red ink on Pale Yellow paper, 2016

David Lander, Selection of A4 zines, riso printed on paper 2016-2019

Page 6: Decaying Forms And Abstract Comics - Decadence Comics ... · Reading sci-fi literature and comics from Europe and Japan ... lutionary theories, organic imagery, spacemen, vast landscapes

David Lander, Archaeological Presentation by Decadence University Press - Reptile Tablet and the Mushroom Mythos (2016), Relief clay tab-lets and zines on table, 2016, Installation detail from the group show Mould Map Terraformers at Bonington Gallery, Nottingham, UK 2016

Installation view from the group show Mould Map Terraformers at Bonington Gallery, Nottingham, UK 2016