'Echo Chambers', the Norwegian duo’s first exhibition in the UK is a mixed media show with painting, collage, sculpture and photography presented. Questioning social structures, ‘the big picture’ and the current economic climate, the pieces exhibited can be seen on different levels. Ideas-based, the monochromatic works demand a reflection on our modern society but the visually pleasing execution could lead the viewer to stop at the surface.
A true partnership between two artists, the duo works in tandem from the conceptualisation to the execution. An example could be the Ying Yang piece titled “The true nature of my being compelled me to reject the world and everything in it. For what I had seen was not there, and what I had been taught were lies. And the fury that came over me lifted to a higher ground. As I slumped against the wall, enveloped in this new world – a world entirely of my own design – I could at last, find peace.” Both artists picked up a brush, one with white paint and the other with black, and they timed their application to the canvas, mixing colours as well as the brushes’ strokes and the hands executing the work.
With arresting surfaces and underlying strong concepts, the work of Lello//Arnell truly is a must see. A first exhibition in the UK that will surely – hopefully – lead to many more.
Lello//Arnell Echo Chamber is on at Beers.Lambert gallery until the 12th August
Words: Sarah Kante