Mark Ther exhibited at the Telegraph Gallery in 2022. The May exhibition was one big set, an interior in a computer game, or a set design for an immersive work, the traversal of which can resemble something like an escape game. However, one could only escape from the author's fantasies, childhood memories, as well as the inane games with our attention and perception of space, through the magnificent anus of the ubiquitous cat Garfield.
In this exhibition, the artist thematically linked to the gallery Ravnikar in Ljubljana with the exhibition 100% Cotton, which he prepared in collaboration with Telegraph Gallery chief curator Mira Macík. In a scenographically arranged space, he gradually reveals an intimate, at times almost disturbing fictional story. The entrance to the exhibition resembles a collector's depository - a carefully preserved archive of personal fascinations, second-hand boys' underwear. The artefacts are set in an eclectic, historicizing environment that emphasizes the collection's distinctive character.
The visitor is gradually led to the private space of the bedroom, where the only relic of the collection's owner is a body print in the bed. The room also includes a triptych entitled Vencel, telling the story of a boy who meets a guinea fowl on the edge of the Broumov forests.
Throughout this journey, the viewer repeatedly finds himself in situations that disrupt established norms and force him to reassess them. Ther does not work with these themes to shock, but uses them to open up new perspectives on realities that are familiar but often remain taboo or displaced.
The exhibition is on view until March 14
