Quantum Circus: The Intelligent Design Process
by Amanda M. Vail
A faint mechanical whirring, interspersed
with periods of unhinged, impish cackling, accompanies one’s entrance into
the “Quantum Circus” show at the Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis. The
space is dim, thanks to maroon curtains strung across the gallery windows,
and the lighting eerie, thanks to the subject matter of the exhibition.
Situated throughout the front half of the gallery, on the walls and on the
floor, are the oddities of artists Michael Zansky and Andréa Stanislav, with
Stig Eklund, D. Dominck Lombardi, Lucio Pozzi, Michael Rees, Bradley
Rubenstein and Kiki Smith also contributing. Upon entry, viewers sink deep
into a tangled web of symbolism, allusion, metaphor and the peculiar.
The title and presentation convey that one is entering a freak show;
even the curtains contribute by precluding sneak peaks from passersby. The
gallery has become a sanctum, the inner space dedicated to the mysteries of
any sort of faith, be it religious or secular. Often, those mysteries are
intended to awe; sometimes, in other cases, they disappoint. Zansky and
Stanislav intend to illuminate. Or befuddle. Or perhaps poke a few holes in
things so that light might shine through.
Scattered throughout the gallery are a number of things you might expect
to find in a circus: distorted pictures, creepy animals, science experiments
gone weird. Glittering, emaciated hounds gambol atop overturned wash bins;
monkey busts with ponytails revolve on turntables; a cricket in a pink tutu,
magnified by one of Zansky’s huge lenses, dances madly on the end of
gyrating wires. The walls are covered with grotesquely altered portraits,
giant astrological charts and other morphed images; the back half of the
sanctum hosts three simultaneously projected videos.
“Quantum Circus” is a sculptural environment; the artworks cannot be
separated from each other and retain the same meaning. Patterns emerge as
time is spent in the gallery absorbing the atmosphere, listening to the mild
cacophony, watching the mesmerizing play of the videos or the revolving
sculptures. Quantum Circus I—a huge hodgepodge of distorted dictators,
quotes, WWII battle maps, art historical images and chaotic,
cause-and-effect lines—exemplifies the show’s dialogue on the rise and fall
of empires—religious, artistic, historical or otherwise. Myriad references
to anything from the Bible to quantum physics lead off on fascinating
tangents. In bringing them together, Zansky and Stanislav attempt to show
just how truly unusual the chimera of human experience can be.
Once this exhibition has been entered, exiting proves a bit tough—it’s a
seductive environment, even though much of the imagery is repulsive. It’s
even harder to leave it behind completely. Stanislav and Zansky have
provided considerable food for thought—so much of it is tied into the way we
perceive the world. No loaves and fish miracles here, although, rather, the
artists seem to be teaching fishing techniques, offering observers the
chance to walk away and catch a big one.