Page 24 - ART GIANTS issue of World of Art (WOA) Contemporary Art Magazine

WORLD-CLASS ART METAHAVEN:

CHAOS THEORY

Metahaven, founded in 2007 by Dutch artists Vinca Kruk
and Daniel van der Velden, is an influential artist collective
whose work spans art, filmmaking, and design. Their
multidisciplinary practice integrates moving images, exhibition
Metahaven | Chaos Theory, 2021 Single channel film, 25 min. (film still).
design, graphics, digital interfaces, and theoretical discourse, Courtesy the artists. © Metahaven
positioning them as key figures in the development of post-
digital, critical culture. For this exhibition, Chaos Theory expands beyond the
Their recent film, Chaos Theory (2021), unfolds as an immersive traditional confines of the screen. Accompanying the video
audiovisual poem, following the reflective dialogues and installation is an array of embroidered objects, displayed in an
wanderings of two characters—X (Valentina Di Mondo) and adjoining space as film stills and documents of Metahaven’s
Y/Z (Georgina Dávid)—as they navigate the complexities of broader visual research. The exhibition includes selected
contemporary existence and the interconnected phenomena pieces from their Arrows (2020) and Blossoms (2021) series,
shaping their world. Eschewing conventional narrative featuring intricate digital embroideries on repurposed jumpsuit
structures and the binaries of information technology, Chaos jackets, commercial plastic bags, and small tapestries evocative
Theory functions as a nonlinear meditation, blurring distinctions of fabric samples or doormats. Also on view is the textile
between fiction and reality, shared experiences and dreams. and video triptych Living Together in Stories (2022), which
Filmed on the outskirts of Amsterdam, the stark landscape juxtaposes dreamlike landscapes, abstract graphics, and
contrasts with the film’s dreamlike sequences and poetic, organic symbols. Through these layered works, Metahaven
open-ended dialogues. challenges perceptions, inviting audiences to reconsider
certainty and imagine a future shaped by empathy, fluid
identities, and interconnectedness.
Metahaven | Chaos Theory, 2021 Single channel film, 25 min. (film still).
Courtesy the artists. © Metahaven

24 WORLD of ART