Space In Between (SIB) is delighted to present a solo exhibition of new work by Brazilian artist Lucas Simões. Perpetual Instability is the artist’s first solo exhibition in London, and sees Simões present an installation of new works in concrete responding to the current situation of Brutalist architecture.
Simões’ practice relates his artistic making to the intrinsic specificities of each place where he realises his projects. Perpetual Instability opened at SIB following a 3-week residency in a studio in the Balfron Tower: Ernö Goldfinger’s iconic 27-storey Brutalist tower in Poplar, East London. Simões’ interest in architecture is rooted in the changes and trends that take place both in and around it over time. His practice addresses the notion of ‘time shifting’ in architecture; both its physical manifestations of change and potential dilapidation, as well as social perceptions of changes in the style of architectural design.
For Perpetual Instability, Simões presents a series of small concrete and paper sculptures, alongside a fragile installation that gradually fractures and breaks up over the course of the exhibition as visitors interact with it. Rather than creating a sense of irony, Simões hopes this will generate some kind of pleasure for those taking part. “There is a kind of perversion in it, to take the meaning out of place”, he says. “Strangeness is something that fascinates me, and to make it beautiful is even better.”
Lucas Simões (b. 1980, Catanduva) lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil. Recent solo exhibitions include: Lucas Simões, Museu de Arte Moderna Aloísio Magalhães (MAMAM), Recife, 2014; PE Operações fotográficas, Sesc Vila Mariana, São Paulo, 2014;