Theo Papandreopoulos, “CARNYX”, at Koppel Project – PAUSE/FRAME, London

“CARNYX” by Theo Papandreopoulos, curated by Sunend, at Koppel Project – PAUSE/FRAME, London, from 14 October 2024 to 2 November 2024.

Theo Papandreopoulos’ sculpture and sound works in this exhibition interrogate the associations of historical symbolism, modern technology, and masculinity. By amalgamating natural and traditional elements, such as beetle horns and Japanese armour crests, with industrial materials like car parts and stainless steel, Papandreopoulos creates a multi-sensory experience that evokes both threat and intrigue. The accompanying sound works add another experiential dimension, translating the visual into sound, reinforcing the perceptible substance of the concerns being dealt with. The exhibition’s focus on speed, competition, and force underscores the underlying power dynamic that Papandreopoulos connects with the lineage of animal males, as tiny as beetles, particularly salient in their mating rituals. The use of horns as a means of asserting dominance and securing mating partners points to the performativity of these instincts across species. The incorporation of technology probes the ways in which the expression of these instincts shaped and was shaped by scientific advancements.