pavilion 4
paul devens
26 januari 2020 - 22 februari 2020
Opening Sunday, January 26, 16:00 – 18:00
The Transformation series, which has been on view at Bradwolff Projects for the past six months, concludes with the final episode of the triptych. Following solo exhibitions by Hili Greenfeld [Israel] and Sachi Miyachi [Japan], Paul Devens [Netherlands] is the third in the series. The three artists in the Transformation series were asked to address the historical and social layers of the Bradwolff Projects space in relation to its architecture and infrastructure. Guiding this is the artists’ artistic vocabulary, which focuses on the interplay between visual art and architecture and ranges from interventions and architectural modifications to spatial installations and sound.
For the installation ‘Pavilion 4’ at Bradwolff Projects, Paul Devens places multiple speakers in the space and hangs curtains in front of the windows. The sound composition he presents was recorded in Jerusalem in 2014 before, during, and after riots broke out: a composition of sounds of human voices, a bustling market, people shopping, a market vendor hawking his wares, followed by helicopters, the firing of tear gas, grenades, fireworks, and shouting, after which everyday life resumes. By allowing these sounds from Jerusalem to resonate—detached from their context—in the silent exhibition space of Bradwolff Projects, the clash of realities is amplified through their simultaneity. The sound sequence is programmed in parallel with the opening and closing of the curtains in the space. The acoustic qualities of the building are utilized by digitally ‘projecting’ the sound composition onto the acoustics of the corners and alcoves of the exhibition space.
The title ‘Pavilion 4’ refers to the idea of a pavilion as an ‘architectural object’ without a clear function. The pavilion is a romantic invention for relaxation and meeting. The dome-shaped space by Bradwolff Projects has architectural associations with a pavilion. Devens reinforces and weakens this distinctive character through the mechanical opening and closing of curtains. When the curtains close, the spectator is alone, with any others present and with the interior. The reference to one’s own reality outside has temporarily disappeared or been suspended. When the curtains open, the density of sounds decreases again, and the visitor returns to the here and now.
Paul Devens [1965, Maastricht] is the final artist in the Transformation series. In his work, he primarily uses sound as a medium and studies the political layers of a place through field research. He interprets sound as a direct reflection of a society that tells us what is happening on a social, economic, and political level. Sound does much more: it can enthrall us, evoke memories, and appeals to our imagination, our thinking, and our emotions.
Devens studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and continued his education at the Jan van Eyck Academy [both Maastricht]. He works as a visual artist, curator, consultant, and lecturer at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts & Design. His work has been presented in solo exhibitions at, among others, Les Brasseurs in Liège [2019], bb15 in Linz [2016], The Museum of Fine Art in Split [2015], Z33 in Hasselt [2012], and Diapason Gallery in New York [2011]. Group exhibitions in which he participated include Ctrl_Alt_Del in Istanbul [2003, 2005, 2007], Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen [2010], D-0 ARK Biennial of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo [2013], and The Jerusalem Show in Jerusalem [2014]. He is a co-founder/member of the artist collective Otomax, with which he has been creating concerts, performances, and exhibitions since 2016.