Performance by Elena Khurtova and Marie Ilse Bourlanges
Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam 2018

Dust to *dust is the final chapter of a long-term project The Sky is on the Earth, a series of interventions with the inherited archive of Jacques Bourlanges (Marie Ilse’s grandfather), author of an intriguing esoteric theory of a correlation between star constellations and French geography. After working with this rich material for four years, Khurtova & Bourlanges create a final transformation of the archive: ‘letting go’ is at the heart of their solo exhibition at Arti et Amicitiae. From monumental to intimate installations, their work explores the paradox between transformation and its inherent loss. The artist duo reflects on the purpose of preservation and archiving through series of sensorial experiences in constant change. The tactility of elements composing the exhibition echoes to the fragility of physical traces one may leave behind, as well as the ones superimposed on us and our physical environment by higher forces.

made with the support of Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst
photo credits: © Jessie Yingying Gong