Danish art trio Superflex explores the ocean and capitalism in 'Fish & Chips' art exhibition

Arts & Design

Published: 12 Jun. 2024, 15:00 Updated: 12 Jun. 2024, 15:08

Danish art trio Superflex explores the ocean and capitalism in 'Fish & Chips' art exhibition

Superflex stands in its latest exhibition ″Fish & Chips″ at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul. From left: Rasmus Rosengren Nielsen, Bjørnstjerne Christiansen and Jakob Fenger [KUKJE GALLERY]

It’s a white rectangular ceramic pot with a small flower inside it, seemingly fit for the interior of any home.

But there’s actually nothing homey about it at all. The flower is a hallucinogenic plant called Nerium oleander, native to the southern parts of Korea. The pot was modeled after investment bank Citigroup’s headquarters in New York.

To Superflex, the Danish art trio that created “Investment Bank Flowerpots/CitiGroup Nerium Oleander” (2019), it represents economic imbalance. Putting a psychoactive plant inside a scaled-down version of a major financial company symbolizes the underlying toxicity of monetary transactions.

There are several other versions in this series, taking after the headquarters of other large investment banks, like Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase, using peyote, San Pedro cacti and marijuana.

“Investment Bank Flowerpots/CitiGroup Nerium Oleander” (2019) by Superflex [SHIN MIN-HEE]

This version is part of Superflex’s latest exhibition at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul, titled “Fish & Chips.”

The exhibition title is not referring to the English dish, but rather the underwater scaly creatures and microchips that are found in our smartphones, televisions and ID cards. From afar, it collectively tackles Superflex’s attempt to understand ocean life, as well as expose the hidden powers of society and economic structures through its artwork.

“It’s easier for us to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism,” Fenger said during the press conference for “Fish & Chips” at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul last week.

“Don’t you think that’s sort of an interesting thought? That we are in this world with all these things that are hidden, or non-hidden, or very present, but we cannot get rid of it,” he said.

Superflex was founded in 1993 by Jakob Fenger, Bjørnstjerne Christiansen and Rasmus Rosengren Nielsen. The trio has exhibited its works all over the world, including the Gwangju Biennale in 2002 and 2018, the Real DMZ Project in 2023 and the Venice Biennale this year.

″Hold Your Tongue″ by Superflex [KUKJE GALLERY]

At a glance, Superflex’s artworks, spanning across paintings, installations and media art, seem very hip, especially in the “Chips” section. They tend to be defined by their simplicity, as shown in the three pink neon signs that are hung in a room and each read in bold, capital letters: “Save your skin,” “Make a killing” and “Hold your tongue.”

These three pieces, all being phrases that can be used in financial contexts, reflect the familiarities of cityscapes, Fenger explained. It’s when you read them all together in one room that they “form a strong synthesis.”

While these neon signs are obvious representations of capitalism, Superflex explains that the economic system can also be an invisible force that “follows” us around in our daily lives. Such expressions were especially portrayed in the “Chips” series — white acrylic canvas paintings that have faint silicon shadows on the surface, which are only noticeable when seen up close.

″Chips 7″ by Superflex [KUKJE GALLERY]

The shadowy structure is taken from the microchip patterns on credit cards, particularly Europay, Mastercard and Visa.

“We got very fascinated about the design of these things because when you look closely, they’re not the same, but there are always some similarities,” Fenger said.

“So we’d like to see these patterns as, of course, some kind of aesthetic project by someone in the world, but also as a piece of architecture that is behind us somehow.”

The extent of the power of the “invisible” capitalist system was proven through an experiment Superflex previously held, called “Free Shop,” in which it allowed people to take whatever they wanted from an existing shop or market without having to pay.

The various reactions were intriguing. Some would be happily surprised, but others would get angry, throw money on the floor and claim their right to pay.

“It gives us the fear of losing power if it’s not there,” Fenger said, referring to the capitalist system. “It also gives us the wish to get more power so we can get more it. So, it’s a weird system that we all connect to.”

The “Fish” part of the exhibition reflects Superflex’s ongoing interest in ocean life from the past decade. An expedition that Superflex participated in, as they sailed in the South Pacific along with some scientists, served as the background for the group’s research.

″As Close As We Get″ by Superflex [KUKJE GALLERY]

One realization was that stones were crucial for sea animals, as they provide a home for them. Superflex then took lioz — a type of limestone— basalt, marble and coral, turning them into the “As Close As We Get” series. According to the trio, the block-shaped sculptures are “for humans now and potentially for fish in the future.”

The sculptures themselves were put into the ocean and monitored with GoPro cameras to see the reactions of the fish, as a way for humans to understand the world.

“We would say that these sculptures are like a prism where you see through to the other world,” Fenger said.

“Fish & Chips” continues until July 28. Kukje Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, except on Sundays and national holidays when it closes at 5 p.m. Entrance is free.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]