Asia Art Center is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition, Jeremy Olson: zoognosis, which takes place at our Taipei space starting from August 5th, 2023. This marks the debut solo exhibition in Asia for the American artist Jeremy Olson, showcasing his new works from 2023, including 12 pieces comprising paintings and painting/sculpture hybrids. The artist reception will be held on August 12th, 2023, and the exhibition will run until September 17th.

The title of the exhibition, “zoognosis,” is an altered word that combines the Greek word “gnosis” (γνῶσις, meaning “knowledge”) with “zoonosis” (referring to a disease shared between animals and humans). The exhibited works invite the audience to reflect on whether ideas or concepts could also be transmitted from the animal world like viruses.

Olson has long been interested in contemporary controversies, such as the shifting nature of alienation, the increase of environmental anxieties, the channeling of desire through consumer advertising, and issues of subjectivity and relationality—all of which are connected to the notion of (unattainable) absolute “freedom.”

This exhibition showcases Olson’s latest works, presenting environments that resemble zoos or natural-history museums, synthetic spaces that seem to imitate the natural world. It prompts us to interrogate whether we can be convinced by such pseudo-natural settings. Because we probably can’t, the question is really who the illusion is “for”; the animals? The visiting children? In these works the boundaries between visitor and exhibit have dissolved, the animals and characters roam freely, but the walls that cut off the outside world remain.

The concept of “enclosure” and the practice of “lockdowns” have become common worldwide in the past three years. In an abstract manner Olson questions whether “enclosure” pertains to dangerous viruses, behaviors, ideas, that need to be contained to prevent their spread (“quarantined”). From this perspective, he observes the media and social media in today’s society, which have created similar enclosures. We either voluntarily select certain types of information or passively receive big data notifications. We could even speculate about the existence of a top-down apparatus that spreads ideologies. Media control techniques have indeed advanced, more efficiently limiting the audience’s perspective, making it difficult for us to truly understand the reality of the world.

Clearly, the figures in Olson’s works appear to be human but are not entirely human. They are hybrid beings, inspired by children’s books or fairy tales. Some are endearingly adorable, while others verge on threatening. Olson’s fascination lies in the interplay between animals or enigmatic hybrids, much like the allure we feel towards our pets—we lavish them with affection, yet our interactions and communication often remain limited, leaving us connected to an alien and impenetrable mind.

Some objects in the paintings appear to be mutated designer handbags or biomorphic kitchen implements. Olson directs the actions or poses of these hybrid figures in a personified manner, as though they were imitating the presentation of products. The artist is fascinated by the way formal elements can also spread like a virus, infecting heterogeneous hosts seemingly without logic: how a motorcycle helmet may equally take design cues from a toothbrush or an italian shoe. Through his art, Olson questions how images shape desire in a culture of consumerism.

Final interrogation, to ourselves: living on a planet shared by all species, what have humans done? What have we done to ourselves? Are we aware of our own freedom? How do we define and pursue freedom? Answers may not be found in this exhibition, but it prompts us to examine these issues.