Icy and Sot: Familiar / Stranger

The exhibition was conceived as a mise en abyme where video footage, sound and sculptural shapes intertwine, with a big installation recalling the video’s house on fire greeting the visitors at the entrance of the gallery. An elaborate presentation that works like a conceptual mirror room, where the artists’ statement gets refracted into overlapping images populating the space, creating the odd impression of being immersed in what the artists call "familiar / strange": the feeling of witnessing an alien reality that is very much ours. The eerie state of being caught in the rapid changes that affect society, not quite knowing if our role is that of an observer or a participant.

Icy and Sot have a very hands-on approach to experimenting with new techniques. Throughout the years they have been adding to their vocabulary an impressive range of materials, often chosen for their symbolic significance. “We decided that whatever idea we had, we would make it happen in whatever medium or material that makes the work stronger.” With time their pieces have gotten more and more sophisticated and innovative. Recently the artists have started making graceful abstract works that highlight the intrinsic properties of materials, demonstrating once again their ability to outgrow themselves and deliver surprises.