Squaring the Circle, 2013

Gestalt theory and Edwin Abbott’s satirical novel Flatland (1884), where the inhabitants of a two-dimensional world cannot recognise or perceive a three-dimensional object, leave, as Troika suggest, conceptual imprints on the shape of the sculpture. […] The experience of seeing and knowing lies at the heart of the work, for both the shape of the square and the circle are contained in one object.
Dr. Jean Wainwright in The Far Side of Reason, 2013

Constructed from steel and wrapped in a dense black flock material which absorbs light, Squaring the Circle simultaneously displays the form of a square and a circle. It is both resolutely simple and intriguingly complex. Viewers have their logical and visual sensibilities challenged, confronted with a sculpture that points towards a unity of seemingly antithetical forms. The inspiration for the work evolves from philosophical and empirical debates, quantum theory and Edwin Abbott’s satirical novel Flatland where the inhabitants can’t recognise a three-dimensional object or space. Squaring the Circle is the first in Troika’s series of perspective sculptures, which includes Dark Matter, 2014 and Polar Spectrum, 2015.  

TROIKA (DE/DE/FR)
°2003, London

In 2003 the artists Eva Rucki (°1976, Germany), Conny Freyer (°1976, Germany) and Sebastien Noel (°1977, France) formed the contemporary art collective Troika. Together they share a particular interest in science and art, animation and human agency. Their works question the notions of knowledge and control, analysing what it means to be human in the age of technology, and the impact of technological advancement on individual action. The impact of technology on individuals is one of the main subjects throughout their oeuvre. Works such as Squaring the Circle, All Colours White, Sonic Marshmallows, Cloud and the various iterations of  Electroprobe Installations find themselves at the intersection of art, magic and science. They become a means to explore the impossible, unverifiable and irrational objects that surround us. Troika is based in London and is represented by Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles and OMR in Mexico City.