huber.huber – Stolen souls, 06.09 – 26.10.2019

For their second solo show at DuflonRacz Brussels, Stolen Souls, the Swiss artist duo huber.huber will be presenting new work.

The exhibition revolves around a number of sculptures. High resolution scans of butterfly wings printed on silk are draped over mirrored stelae. Each pair of wings partially obscures the mirror image.

This light and poetic installation refers to the artists’ recurrent theme of metamorphosis as well as the concept of the soul. The mirror can be interpreted as a symbol of vanity and self-awareness, both deeply human properties.In ancient cultures the image reflected by a mirror was considered a reflection of a person’s soul, in which the soul might be captured. Even today, some people veil the mirrors in the houses of the recently deceased, fearing that otherwise the souls of the dead, drawn by their reflection, may linger among the living.

 The 180 centimetre long silk scarves consist of up to 900 meter long threads of the mulberry silk worm cocoon. People can wrap themselves up in them, and in the same way a butterfly would, deceive, camouflage or warn with magnificent colours.

The charcoal drawings are about the appropriation of nature by the human species. The series “Essences” consists of floral essences captured in perfume flacons. In nature, flowers attract insects for pollination, but the scent also serves to repel certain predators. Human beings have applied natural fragrances for over 6000 years to change their own body scent. Using geranium, hyacinth, jasmine, lavender, lily of the valley, mimosa, neroli, osmanthus, rose, tuberose, violet or magnolia people have manipulated their individual body scents – the olfactory mirrors of their genetic profiles.

 Generally, the sumptuous image of flowers celebrates the beauty of nature – however, the drawing does not indicate the fact that there was human interference at work here. Japanese researchers have added the genes of blue-peas (clitora ternatea) and Canterbury bells (campanula medium) to these chrysanthemums, so that the flowers blossom in vivid blue rather than shades of pink.