Christian Andersson

Christian Andersson is among a number of artists currently reviving the themes and motifs of Op art. Like artists Olafur Eliasson, Jeppe Hein, and Carsten Höller, Andersson works with traditional Op concerns of perception and optical illusion, while adapting them to an art scene in which multimedia installation is the norm. But while Eliasson revels in grandiose scientific statements and Höller moves between conceptual complexity and mindless play, Andersson opts for investigating special effects and fakes. At Nordenhake, he shows three works. In a Plexiglas box sits 1950 (1984), 2008, a copy of the 1950 Swedish edition of George Orwell’s novel that is mysteriously glowing from the inside, rendering the book transparent, its first pages legible through the cover. On the surrounding walls, constituting Matt Damon (Near Mint), 2007, are three framed copies of the poster for The Talented Mr. Ripley, signed by the actor who plays con man Ripley, Matt Damon himself. The copies are identical to one another in every detail, from Damon’s signature down to the smallest imperfections: microscopic tears, scratches, folds. The centerpiece of the exhibition is the installation Memo, 2008, a one-to-one reconstruction of a small office space, complete with stacks of paper, files, staplers, and the like. What characterizes the room most, however, is an absence: a copy machine that, although its lights flicker on the wall, is not actually there. Looking at Andersson’s work, one is torn between skepticism and delight. On the one hand, it is pure effect and seems to be designed for instant success at an art fair. On the other, there is real joy in experiencing the subtlety and technical perfection of an installation like Memo. One could perhaps call Andersson’s art, both speculative and spectacular, a true art of the spectacle.