Magali Reus’ latest exhibition, “The main course” (The Main Course), offers three interconnected bodies of work that transform common objects through various methods of hybridization to produce what the artist calls unreal things, or “unreal things”. Take for example, Candlesticks (Fluorescent Fereni), 2022, one of the five majestic green streetlights on the ground floor of the exhibition. Instead of a lantern, the top of the post is adorned with flourishes of aluminum wire spelling out the word “fluorescent,” while the shaft bears hand-carved markings that allude to plant growth patterns. An opening in the base of the work reveals an enlarged ear of corn standing on a white and yellow gingham pattern plate with a measuring ruler embedded in its grains. The book talks about selective breeding and genetic modification of crops for consumer preferences.
Reus orients the viewer to the history and rural location of the art center to develop themes relevant to his practice. Delme-born horticulturist and hybrid flower breeder Victor Lemoine makes an appearance, albeit a metaphorical one, as do the color schemes put forth by artist Daniel Buren, who exhibited at the center in 1997. Here Reus painted a prototype gingham tiles in blue and yellow – a nod to Buren – inside the synagogue arches. This motif makes another appearance in a series called “Clementine”, which uses stereotypical French Bonne Maman jam jars, branded with the familiar gingham.
A flair for the pervert runs everywhere”The main coursefinally asking what is authentic in the rural and what is potentially altered for human gain. In the “Landings” series, Reus photographed cabbages, peaches, grapes, cherries and strawberries stuck among scrap metal from construction sites. The staging of fresh produce juxtaposed with dust and debris expresses the tensions between nature and artifice as we experience them today.
