NEW YORK, NY.- SHIN Gallery announced the opening of Muscle Memory at 68 Orchard Street. For his first exhibition at SHIN Gallery, Andreas Emenius presents recent objects and paintings created during his residency in New York.
Throughout his career, Emenius has brought his background and Scandinavian perspective to environments that are almost archetypical. Each piece in this show is a unique product of Emenius’ time living and working in Chinatown, a place that at once is both completely foreign to the Swedish artist and somehow familiar in its authenticity and grit. The neighborhood sneaks itself into the scenes of his paintings in the form of Adidas-clad figures carrying plastic shopping bags and bubble tea cups. Yet, these familiar objects and symbols are not immediately apparent; they disappear into a strange background, as if floating in an unknown void. Each work distinctly balances the clear and the foggy, inviting the viewer to relate to the scenes while somehow being utterly confused. The relationship between polarities guides much of Emenius’ practice. His works are both heavy and light as a feather; both reality and fantasy. The resulting images capture the everyday and something more metaphysical or mythical, putting into shape what is difficult to put into words.
The artist's eclectic, cross-disciplinary exhibitions and films offer a glimpse into his uncanny world in which fine art and contemporary culture merge effortlessly. Since graduating from Central Saint Martins, Emenius has established himself as an artist working in a place between painting, installation and video. His shows have attracted international attention both within the art world and beyond. Drawing from a deep understanding of painting’s histories—filtered through personal experience, myth and sport—his works oscillate between the banalities of everyday life and the otherworldly. Emenius regularly exhibits his unique visual universe at galleries and art institutions, including shows at Viborg Kunsthal; Moderna Museet, Malmö; Schunck Museum, Holland; The Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles; Gwangju Biennale, South Korea; Liljevalchs, Stockholm; and HEART Museum, Denmark. He has collaborated with various artists, including Danish musician Trentemøller, for whom he directed several acclaimed music videos and stage designs, Grammis award winner Jenny Wilson, and others. Together with fashion designer Henrik Vibskov, he has also created the internationally acclaimed art projects ‘The Fringe Projects’ and ‘The Circular Series’ (VibskovEmenius). Emenius is the curator and co-founder of the Nordic Contemporary in Paris.
