Efremidis Gallery is proud to present the first solo exhibition of Dutch artist Feiko Beckers in Germany.
Feiko Beckers has been described as a philosopher who specializes in the concept of banality. His work concerns itself with the basic questions he asks himself. Why don’t I own a sofa? How long does it take to eat a donut? Shall I take my friend to my favorite Italian restaurant in Paris? The exploration of these banal inquiries morph into a discussion, between the artist and a chosen counterpart, be it the unseen voice in Maintenant or the unknown viewer or the friend from ‘A conversation is a risk to lose your own opinion’, much grander than the original question. Is this action worth my time? How do I structure my day and what do I need to tell myself to justify my actions?
Albert Camus stated that individuals should embrace the absurd condition of human existence while also defiantly continuing to explore and search for meaning. In his work Beckers searches for logical solutions to the absurd problems that arise in everyday life. His reasoning comes across as sound but is ultimately absurd. But perhaps this is the most logical, an absurd answer to an absurd problem. In ‘Maintenant’ he and his unknown companion examine the word ‘now’ and search for a better solution, something to better describe the immediacy of now, than the word ‘now ‘does.
The artistic world of Beckers appears to be governed by a strict set of rules. Different actions should have different consequences he states in ‘A conversation is a risk to lose your own opinion’. In ‘Why I don’t own a sofa’ he declares that he prefers to make sure that the most difficult thing is behind him. Which leads to him living in a valley, ensuring that his bike ride home is easier than his journey out into the world. This rule also tells you why he doesn’t own a sofa, as getting up from a sofa is much harder than sitting down on a sofa.
Beckers speaks in a deadpan manner, save from the occasional frown or raising of the eyebrows there is hardly any emotion. The camera seems influenced by infomercials. Panning quasi- seductively over the object, showing off the chairs in ‘Why I don’t own a sofa’ and giving you glimpses of the costumes, based on Russian avant-garde costumes, remnants of a past when hope in an artistic and political revolution was still alive, which feature in ‘A conversation is a risk to lose your own opinion’.
During the opening Beckers will perform a pop song, titled ‘Good with Girlfriends’, a bonified earworm, where he lists all the people and situations, he is not good with, and then what he is good with. On Saturday, 30th of March, Beckers will give a workshop titled ‘A disappointment you can rely on’. A further descent into the absurdity of daily life, especially related to pancakes.
