VENICE BIENNALE 2024
20 April 2024 – 24 November 2024
European Cultural Centre
Palazzo Mora, Strada Nova 3659
Venice, Italy
Second Floor / Room 205
Long Way Down takes us into the spiral of time. This chair and table, with extended legs, are two metaphoric and unconscious objects which invite an introspective exploration of childhood, memory, and the paradoxes of adulthood; symbolising the inadequacy between human beings and the world where they have lived since childhood. They seem to speak to each other in a silent dialogue about the fragility of life, forever fixed as two indelible images on the screen of memory.
The table and chair, two familiar and everyday objects of domestic life become nostalgic artefacts; evoking memories of a time when our world was defined by the lofty scale of the adult realm. Yet, beneath the veneer of childhood innocence, lies a subtle critique of the disillusionment that accompanies the transition to adulthood. The precariousness of the elevated chair serves as a poignant reminder that the pursuit of ambition and success can be fraught with uncertainty, and the pedestal upon which we place our aspirations may prove treacherously unstable.
The work inspires and challenges our own quest for meaning and enlightenment. As the adult viewer is metaphorically shrunk and transported into the labyrinth of personal childhood memories, Olding invites us to confront the duality of innocence and experience. In Long Way Down, the gaze of the viewer is raptured by these two characters and this capture is further enhanced by the purity of style; here we are able to rediscover the boundless imagination that resides within us all.
British born artist Gail Olding Educated at Central St Martins college of Art and The Düsseldorf Academy. Olding Has Worked under the tutelage of Hermann Nitsch later becoming his assistant. She has exhibited and has been published both nationally and internationally. Olding works across media investigating the point at which language collapses and the possibility of working outside of the field of language. ‘ I like the viewer to be able to know the work before they understand it.’ Olding works intuitively with materials and ideas, one giving way to the other. She seldom outsources work as the language of the material is often used as a conduit for connection with the viewer.
LONG WAY DOWN 2019 Wood/Metal/Lacquer 2m X 2m X 2m
Long way down has been sponsored by The Arts Council England /The British Government and The ECC.
With grateful thanks.
