Exhibitions

ANDY HARDING: ARROKOTH

Tinney Contemporary / 237 5th Ave North. April 16, 2021 - May 29, 2021

Andy Harding

Tinney Contemporary is pleased to present Arrokoth, a new exhibition by Andy Harding.

Arrokoth is the name of the most remote celestial object ever visited by a spacecraft, a billion miles beyond Pluto. Dubbed with the Powhatan word for “sky,” the light reflecting off of this object carries with it clues to the origins of life on earth. There is something innately human in the action of looking at the skies to make sense of life below — evident in celestial navigation, astrological signs, science-fiction, and entire ancient mythologies attributed to heavenly bodies.

Harding’s work is in line with this tradition, deftly interweaving the tropes of cosmic horror and sci-fi with an awareness of cultural attitudes towards space to create an open-ended meditation on the vastness of the cosmos. The installation consists of sculptural objects of varying sizes sourced from fallen trees and reshaped into alien artifacts which rest on metal stands that evoke spacecraft landing gear. Large-scale prints and video further the world-building element of the work by providing a glimpse into the supposed origin of the objects, floating in the abyss of space. The result is an eerie encounter with a cosmic Other, an engagement with mythologies old and new.

In the interest of public safety, Tinney Contemporary will limit the number of visitors to the opening of ARROKOTH, on May 1st, to 10 people every 30 minutes. Properly worn masks will be required for the entirety of the visit, and alcohol will not be served. A link will be provided for time slot registration in the near future.