For, Piano Blossoms, a.c.k. draws inspiration from star-crossed lovers, Vincent van Gogh and the Muse. He worked closely with printmakers at Make-Ready in London to transform his digital creations into physical objects. Five unique artworks and a limited edition print from the show will also be available to collect in a series of online auctions.
Discover the artworks below and, if you're in Amsterdam, join us for an opening reception on Thursday 17 October from 18:00-20:00.
Limited edition print
Unique artworks
Piano Blossoms
Piano Blossoms began with a search for Romeo and Juliet, but the star-crossed lovers evaded Alpha Centauri Kid. He did not feel the guidance of the Muse who usually comes to him as “a voice, an energy or a distinctive feeling.” This struggle to connect with his Muse led a.c.k. to reflect on the ideal of inspiration, and how it manifests in life and art. Piano Blossoms is his answer to that question – an ode to his twinned inspirations of music and the Muse.
The seven works are steeped in romance – from their Shakespearean origins to the music that soundtracked their creation and their idyllic garden settings. Beginning with abstract landscapes, a.c.k. scoured his creations for hidden figures that he could unearth. In Golden Afternoon, flowers and butterflies dance around a piano. Meanwhile, the Cheshire Cat grins into focus as keys spiral down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
However, the scenes a.c.k. conjures are not free from tragedy. When Romeo and Juliet finally emerge in Tempted in the Garden, they are analogous to Adam and Eve. An apple hovers above their heads. Lurking near the lovers is a skull, a.c.k.’s omnipresent memento mori. Forbidden love, expulsion from paradise and death are all reminders of our mortal separation from perfection. In pursuit of his Muse, a.c.k. also encounters the spectre of Van Gogh whose painting Almond Blossoms (1890) provides the exhibition both title and visual reference.
