Carla Arocha · Stéphane Schraenen: Concrete

Antwerp-based duo Carla Arocha & Stéphane Schraenen’s mirrored sculpture, Concrete, 2009, is a reclining abstract structure reflecting its surroundings in an idiosyncratic way. Based on a prefabricated architectural feature waiting to be placed in its upright position, the staircase, clad in mirrors, is laid in front of the viewer as an abstract pathway leading to an ever-changing world.

The ambivalence of representation and abstraction has been an ongoing topic of research for the artists. Within their work there is a constant shifting of the depth of focus, placing the viewer in positions that invariably move them between the surface and what might lie within. Looking at the real, the representation of the real or looking at the abstract representation of the real, is what Arocha and Schraenen try to make the viewer think and do. The mirrored surface of the object, presenting a fragmented representation of the real world, is ultimately a connection to the self, or the image of the self. This is where public and personal becomes real in their practice.