Mirror Pieces, 2014

In the work Mirror Pieces, artist Tim Etchells plays with the words optical illusions, political delusions, poetical confusions, in different set-ups. Without fixing its meaning, he prompts the visitor to think through the possible relations in the context in which it is presented: the exhibition and society at large. In The Act of Magic, his work introduces a shift in exploring how the tools of the magician can be used not to create benign illusions, but to deceive and manipulate in order to gain power and control.

Etchells’ neon pieces draw on his broader fascinations as an artist, writer and performance maker, often exploring contradictory aspects of language – the speed, clarity and vividness with which it communicates narrative, image and ideas, and at the same time its amazing propensity to create a rich field of uncertainty and ambiguity.

Mirror Pieces was produced for Order Cannot Help You Now at Argos in Brussels, during KunstenFestivalDesArts 2014, and has been re-installed, adjusting its set-up to the architecture of STUK’s courtyard.

Tim Etchells (UK)
°1962, Sheffield

British artist and writer Tim Etchells is known for his performances, installations, photography and text projects. He also leads the world-renowned performance group Forced Entertainment. Central to his practice are questions regarding contemporary identity and urban experience, regarding our relation to fiction and media and the limits of representation. Most of his artworks, which often enfold in public spaces, explore the contradictory aspects of language in a playful and poetic way. Tim Etchells lives and works in Sheffield and London. He is currently Professor of Performance & Writing at Lancaster University, and is represented by Jenkins Johnson Gallery (US, San Francisco and New York) and VITRINE (London and Basel).