HOUSE OF PURKINJE, Amanda Riffo’s solo exhibition, is a staging of reality. The title refers to the Czech biochemist Jan Evangelista Purkyně who, among other things, discovered corresponding and multiple reflections of a single image that appear on the surface of the eye and from within it. Like multiple reflections of the self.

With House of Purkinje, Riffo draws parallels between the physiology of the eye and our awareness of the surrounding environment. She does this by combining the exhibition space with a film studio. Amanda has worked in the film industry almost as long as she has worked as an artist. In both fields, she works with distorted objects, fictional images and constant speculation about how we perceive our surroundings.

The eye is the organ that receives what we see. The brain processes the light, takes in the information that captures our attention, and produces images. Therefore, only a part of what is visible is seen, and only a small part of what we see captures our awareness. When entering the exhibition space, the artwork seems to be missing. The exhibition just isn't ready. But every object, tool, material and packaging has been handled. Wrapped in a new language, put in new packages and rebranded with fictional brands.

Opening an unfinished exhibition is an anxious scenario that somehow always manages to be avoided, even in critical situations. This path Riffo chooses is an attempt to discuss the professional status and work ethic within the arts, as well as a broader discussion of awareness and the importance of fiction – from an intellectual view on reality to fantasy. From going into a room where there is nothing to see and into a room where you have to pay attention to everything, and the way in between.

The artwork is in every item.

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Curator : Sunna Ástþórsdóttir

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With the support of 

Myndlistarsjóður

Ambassade de France en Islande

Listamannalaun | Rannsóknamiðstöð Íslands

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