SALTS

TWIN EARTH
Two person show with Marguerite Humeau and Julian Charrière Curated by Nadim Samman
13 Jun – 24 Aug 2019

Imagine in another world in which everything is the same except for the fact that…

Other worlds are always possible, and sometimes imagining one can teach you something. The American philosopher Hilary Putnam famously deployed a hypothetical Twin Earth in a thought experiment which concluded that the meanings of words are not purely psychological. Today, astrobiologists and astronomers envisage the real possibility of an Earth Twin, somewhere out there. But where? We haven’t found one yet. In any case, one doesn’t seem like enough. Instead of a single earth, we want two. One to destroy and another to keep; one where everything is this way, and another where it is that. More is more. Sunrise over TWIN EARTH, and another, still… to better map our contemporary spirit.
TWIN EARTH is an exhibition of cosmographics by Marguerite Humeau and Julian Charrière. In dialogue with curator Nadim Samman, its rubric re-scales the pair’s abiding interest in planetary thematics (normally realized through large-scale installations), foregrounding their common interest in mapping. Through numerous works on paper and mixed media, TWIN EARTH is an atlas of hypothetical worlds, uncanny doubles, and new ways to look at old ground.

Marguerite Humeau (born in 1986) is a French artist living in London. She graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2011. Her work focuses on communication between worlds. She called herself ‘Indiana Jones in Google Times.’ Julian Charrière (born in 1987) is a Franco-Swiss artist based in Berlin whose work combines environmental science and cultural history. Nadim Samman, PhD, (born in 1983) is a longstanding collaborator with both artists. His recent exhibitions have focused on the passage from materiality to myth. TWIN EARTH is a part of an ongoing series of exhibitions and publications that make up An Imaginary Museum of Philosophical Monsters, initiated by philosopher Dehlia
Hannah.

List of works:

Marguerite Humeau
The History of Humankind, An artificial voice is beatboxing the origin of human language before joining a choir of 108 billion voices. This is the number of humans who have ever lived in Earth since the beginning of humankind, 100000 years ago, 2016
Sound, 11’09”

Julian Charrière
To Observe is To Influence, 2018
volcanic ash, soot from rainforest, organic ash, spray glue
Site-specific wall drawing

Marguerite Humeau
Thresholds, 2018
6 drawings: Black ink pen on layout paper, wood frame
Dimension variable
Courtesy C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels

Marguerite Humeau
Permanence of Myths, Finitude of Bodies, 2019
Charcoal
Site-specific wall drawing

Julian Charrière
To Observe is to Influence (edition VFO), 2019
Woodcut
45 x 34 cm (framed)

Julian Charrière
Lava lamp: Love-In, 2018
Borosilicate, glass, stainless steel, palm oil, isopropanol, lamp
266 x 52 x 52 cm

SALTS is kindly supported by Swisslos Basel-Landschaft, Kulturstiftung Pro Helvetia, Swisslos-Fond Baselstadt and Migros Kulturprozent.