All This Happened, More or Less
The British post pop contemporary art duo, the Connor Brothers, presents their latest exhibition entitled All this Happened, More or Less.
“There are no facts, only interpretations” – Friedrich Nietzsche.
Inspired by philosophers such as Albert Camus claiming “Fiction is a lie through which we tell the truth” and Nietzsche, the exhibition explores concepts of truth and fiction. More specifically, it investigates whether there is any such thing as the truth in the field of human experience as opposed to a variety of personal interpretations.
All this Happened, More or Less is an exhibition of words more than images. The duo intentionally selected a range of images that would leave the meaning of the quotes attached ambiguous to allow viewers the freedom to extract their own meaning from the images. According to the artists “this is analogous to personal events – We might not be able to choose what happens to us, but we do get to chose what those events mean.”
In this exhibition their sharp messages about the nature of truth and fiction in the contemporary society is often built into works from previous centuries. Attaching rebellious text to imagery the duo created a satirical and dynamic collection of works.
Mike Snelle and James Golding, the Connor Brothers, themselves have an intriguing story balancing fiction and truth. To cover up for Snelle’s background of mental illness and Golding’s past of drug addiction, the duo created the pseudonym, the Connor Brothers, with a mysterious story of twin brothers who had grown up in isolation in a strict cult. The fictional story of the Connor Brothers as such paralleled and symbolised critical events in the artists’ lives. Addiction and mental illness corresponded to being raised in a cult and recovery from these was symbolised as escaping from the cult.
This story allowed the duo to face the public despite backgrounds that they were ashamed of and display their art until they recently reached a point where they no longer needed the cover. Coming clean with their true story led to a positive reaction from galleries whose demands for their work increased. According to the brothers this positive validation worked as a final push to alleviate the shame that had been at the root of both depression and addiction.
Recognising that human fragility knows no borders, Snelle and Golding continue to use their artwork to mirror their personal struggles and reflect on the contemporary society.
All This Happened, More or Less will be on show from Monday 4 May – Friday 15 May 2015 at Art Equity in Sydney, Australia.
—
