Lennart Lahuis
Through a wide array of materials and techniques, Lennart Lahuis (b. 1986 in Hengelo, NL) subjects visual information to natural processes such as oxidation, combustion, evaporation, and erosion. The artist juxtaposes these natural phenomena with technological elements and scientific disciplines such as earth sciences and astronomy. The precision and exactitude that characterize both science and technology are contrasted with the volatility and unpredictability of natural phenomena. In his objects and installations Lahuis departs from transience and entropy to explore the boundaries of intelligibility and the material conditions for readability.
Small Language Models brings together two bodies of work. The two denim pieces Sentiments and Supra-Individuel, feature texts and impressions of objects rubbed into the fabric, resembling the outline of a smartphone that is consistently worn in the same pocket of person’s favorite jeans. These two works are paired with Lahuis’ most recent series, titled Calorgraphs. This series consists of oxidized metal plates that are heated until 300 degrees and onto which the artist has drawn images using sweat. Calorgraph combines the Latin word for heat with the suffix -graph, commonly associated with graphic reproduction techniques. The works reflect on heat, atmospheric conditions and the representation of nature through products. Both series of Small Language Models ground the reproduction of information in natural processes and the body.
