<Mercury>

<CGI Fine Art Print, 2017>

In a number of Banz & Bowinkel’s works, communication is a recurring theme best exemplified by a statue of Mercury, the Roman god of trade, communication and thieves. This sculpture is constantly shifting materials, falling apart and reassembling. As we make increasing use of technologies, contemporary human communication is similarily detached from a physical form, as language is broken down into binary code and is reassembled. But the statue of Mercury in its fluctuant state not only reminds us of this constant reconfiguration in contemporary communication; it also reflects the reshaping of society itself through this endless stream of communication: data transfer through micro hips, memory sticks and cell phones. Concurrently and conversely, it is equally reminiscent of the collapse of ancient civilisations.

Text by Roehrs & Boetsch