Diplopia: Carl Hammoud, Jens Fänge

Gallery Baton is pleased to present Diplopia, an exhibition introducing new works by Swedish artists  Jens Fänge (b. 1965) and Carl Hammoud (b.1976).

Diplopia is the technical term for double vision; the simultaneous perception of two images. The title refers to the common denominators in the works of Fänge/Hammoud, such as the usage of two (or more) images, the double exposure of objects, or simply the equivocal nature of their works—where one interpretation is as true as another.

The imagery of Fänge/Hammoud often derives from the artist's explorations in art history as well as their common interest in various paraphernalia. One should not be surprised to learn that the ragged and tinted scarves worn in Fänge's painting Vitrine, or the mismatched shoes in Hammoud's Synthesis are actual articles, given unexpected dimensions when situated in a new context. In this manner, both artists process found and fictional images in their practice, but do so through diverse aesthetics.  In Fänge's work the shapes and colors are scattered into a post cubistic state where a mysterious figure wanders the floorboards of his painted Neverland. The colors are as dense as they are playful, correlating with the composition of the different surfaces. The objects in Hammoud's paintings are distinctly articulated with hard edges yet shimmer in a dim atmosphere. The palette is muted and the paintings seem coherently rendered, still they are accented by the fleeting presence or absence of someone or something.

Both artists move on common grounds as well as in different dimensions.In this sense, the viewer is facing two artists with one denominator… or perhaps entering one domain with two dimensions.