Kunsthal Charlottenborg is the first Scandinavian art institution to present a solo exhibition by the New Zealand artist Michael Stevenson (b. 1964). Signs & Wonders is a new comprehensive installation created especially for the kunsthalle’s spectacular galleries.
Six home-built flight simulators placed in a circle take exhibition visitors on a network of silent, imaginary plane rides using a physically constructed cockpit and a virtually constructed terrain in the form of computer software. The flights take us to remote areas in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, where small planes play a vital role in navigating the difficult terrain. Thus, the aeroplane holds particular significance for the local population as well as Christian missionaries in the region.
Connecting subjects such as religion, aviation, education, anthropology and globalisation, the exhibition continues on from Michael Stevenson’s previous projects whose characteristic sculptural installations interlace anecdotes, history writing and current affairs.
Signs & Wonders is curated by Henriette Bretton-Meyer and is produced in collaboration with Midway Contemporary Art in Minneapolis, where the exhibition will be presented in 2016.