Finnbogi Petursson
Sphere
23. Oktober – 23. Januar 2010

Lichthaus Arnsberg is presenting the installation "Sphere" by Icelandic artist Finnbogi Petursson. It is the fourth art exhibition this year to explore the relationship between light and architecture at Lichthaus Arnsberg. The installation will be shown in the context of the historical exhibition "The Gero Codex returns to Arnsberg", which can be seen in the Wedinghausen Monastery.

Sound creates form and harmonises the waves of nature with the architecture. You can hear the pulsating sounds in the courtyard of Wedinghausen Monastery, which lead us to the Light House. Here, the sound merges into light and shadow and becomes a spectacular celestial image in the centre of the room. The light house is divided into two floors by a huge horizontal screen, whereby only the first floor is visually accessible to us. The image on the screen moves, the sky floats in space and looks at us like a large eye. Can it even read our thoughts? Restless like the sea or like a windy sky, the picture changes and fascinates and calms the viewer.

In the centre of the room is a black plinth, which could be a reference to Stanley Kubrick's enigmatic monolith; on the plinth is a glass bowl of water. Four loudspeakers emit sequences of sine waves of different lengths that move the water. The bowl is illuminated from below and the water is projected onto the screen with hypnotic dynamism. The power and richness of the reflection requires all the senses to be activated in order to experience the artwork in its entirety.

The sine wave, as an elementary form of sound, does not interest Petursson in the sense of music or noise, but rather as a means of achieving a richer experience. With the help of sound, he moulds water into light drawings and sculptures, whereby in his work you can see the sound and hear the image. His installation combines natural elements and phenomena to heighten our perception of them. The attempts to visualise the invisible take place in a sensual experience that stems from the formative nature of Iceland, as well as the immateriality of light and sound.

Finnbogi Petursson is one of Iceland's most important artists. Born in 1959, he lives and works in Reijkjavik. After several international exhibitions and awards, Petursson represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale in 2001.Lichthaus Arnsberg presents the first institutional solo exhibition of the Swedish artist Alexander Gutke in Germany. The exhibition provides an insight into the conceptual work of the young artist, who reacts analytically to the surroundings of the Lichthaus with a selection of works from the last five years. Light is a central theme in Gutke's work, which can often be felt through colour, form and contrast. The search for the mystical and the unknown characterises his exhibition at Lichthaus Arnsberg, where his works can be seen in the historical context of Wedinghausen Monastery.

The exhibition in the Lichthaus is organised by the Cultural Office of the City of Arnsberg in cooperation with the Kunstverein Arnsberg.