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Beside the pyramid is The Fall, the aforementione
d neon sign that’s inspired by the two biblical falls; that of Adam and Eve, and of Lucifer, the rebel angel who was cast out of heaven. Geers considers him the “patron saint” of the exhibition. “Lucifer was the one who dared speak back, who challenged authority. That’s what artists are not doing today.” “One of the things that’s happened is a lot of artists have let go. They’ve sold their right to be an artist to the highest bidder,” he says. “Art has a transformative power, but it’s being used to transform bank accounts rather than transforming consciousness.” Throughout the entire exhibition, Geers plays with language and symbols to create multiple, sometimes subconscious interpretations. He wears his influences on his sleeve: Language is a Virus takes its name from a William Burroughs quote. That work, which covers two sides of the gallery, mirrors the phrase “Fucking Hell” four times until it creates new visual archetypes like the Cross of Lorraine or the vagina dentata. On another side of the room, he’s painted the mirror image of Evil on the wall, spelling livE. It’s not subtle, but it’s effective: Geers wants people to consider whether their lives are contributing to the market forces that are corrupting our planet. A lot of artists have let go. They’ve sold their right to be an artist to the highest bidder. Of course, the exhibition is also a visual delight, employing afro-futuristic design to create a wonderful combination of sights that work seamlessly with one another. On its opening night, people are constantly taking pictures, and everyone gets giddy as they take their shoes off to enter the infinity mirror at the heart of the pyramid. Geers is more than happy with this response and is excited for his work to create any kind of engagement or dialogue. “I believe everyone has a democratic right to refuse or enter [into the exhibition] at whatever level they want to. So, for some people, they’re going to see a shiny pyramid and nice pretty wallpaper, and there’s The Second Coming (Do What Thou Wilt) by Kendell Geers and curated by Sylwia Serafinowicz, a/political run at Rua Red until August 14. absolutely nothing wrong with that. “At the openings, I was talking to some of the people and they were literally saying they were here for a glass of wine, and again, there’s nothing wrong with that. I think it comes back to re-empowering the artists and actually being generous. Generous in the dialogue, generous in the work, generous in the discourse. “But if you want, you can go through the layers of initiation and actually have an embodied experience. And that is a very deeply spiritual and profound experience of who you might be.” 71