Maxim Zhestkov’s first solo show with Unit London explores the origins of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Inspired by the writing of Noam Chomsky, the artist seeks to overcome the limitations of language through an exploration of origin and narrative. The title of his show, Simulation Hypothesis, connects these themes through a consideration of the building blocks of the universe. Zhestkov’s work positions even the smallest details as agents of ‘true meaning’: his process is iterative, each step informing the next.
“Zhestkov pursues the question of the nature of the universe and its contemporary affect. He plays with a visuality that precedes written language, from a time in which early humans used clay to make vessels and figurines. Zhestkov’s tools, however, are those of programming and software: in dialogue with machines and algorithms, the artist works with the functions of Artificial Intelligence. In doing so, Zhestkov, like the natural inspiration he finds in evolution by natural selection, relishes exploiting the errors his processes introduce.”
— Dr Bergit Arends, Curator & Fellow at the Courtauld Institute of Art
Painting with Sculpture: Reflections on the State of Nature
Henry Hudson's second solo exhibition with Unit London unites three bodies of work centring on ideas of landscape: from jungle floors dense with vegetation to celestial horizons and, finally, to the murky waters of the river Thames.The exhibition takes its name from Hudson’s creative process, indicating the layered and impasto surfaces of his pieces. Behind each painting lies an almost alchemical process, which strikes a delicate balance between a traditional sculptural medium and the flat surface of a canvas.
Mapping out the connections between earth, air and water, Painting with Sculpture: Reflections on the State of Nature reflects on the spiritual and theological connotations of the elements.These ideas are then linked back to the artistic process, as Hudson considers the relationships between nature, art and our mental landscapes. These unpeopled landscapes reflect a singular focus on nature that comes from the removal of an individual sense of self.
Capturing fleeting moments within her friend group, Dutch artist Bobbi Essers evokes the special intimacy of platonic relationships in which nothing is hidden and everything is shared.
Bringing together an innovative group of visual artists and musicians who have embraced the power of technology, Sonic Alchemy sheds light on the ever-increasing entanglements between music, visual art and computer science.
Featuring: Alida Sun, Boreta, Joëlle Snaith and Elias Jarzombek.
"This is one of the areas where artists can really provoke conversations: they can make the invisible visible."
Watch Hettie Judah speak about the crucial perspectives on art and motherhood in Naissance, the online exhibition she curated as part of our Voices programme.
Image 1: Maxim Zhestkov in the studio, 2023. 2: Maxim Zhestkov, Clouds of Creation (detail), 2023. Digital video with Sound, 250 cm x 870 cm. 3: Maxim Zhestkov, Algorithmic Allusions, 2023. Digital video sculpture with sound, 170 x 98 x 26 cm. 4: Henry Hudson in the studio, 2023. 5. Henry Hudson, 51.5084572, -0.0999502, 2023. Plaster, pigment, glue and beeswax on aluminium board, 156 cm x 220 cm. 6: Henry Hudson, Somewhere Over the Gulf of Carpentaria, 2022. Pigment and plasticine on aluminium board, 120 x 87 cm. 6. Bobbi Essers in the studio. 8: Headshot of Hettie Judah, 2023. 9: GIF: Alida Sun, Playing with Holographic Noise and Joelle Snaith, She, 2023. All images courtesy of the artists and Unit London.
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