Supernovel project by Esper Postma with Maurits Koster at Canary Test

Fri, Dec 1 - Sat, Dec 30  2023

Canary Test - San Francisco Consulate Region

Opening December 1st, Canary Test is pleased to present "Supernovel," an installation and city-wide exhibition by artist Esper Postma in collaboration with Maurits Koster until December 30, 2023. An opening reception takes place on Friday, December 1, from 6:00pm - 9:00pm.

Recent crises, such as global warming, political polarization, and growing economic disparity, have contributed to a collective sense of instability. In Supernovel, artists Esper Postma and Maurits Koster respond to this insecurity by speculating on possible futures through two text-based works: Without You, a video installation inside Canary Test, and Making Things More Better, a series of posters occupying public advertisement spaces along Sunset Boulevard.

It’s difficult to imagine Los Angeles without its dense variety of public advertisements. While this contributes to the city’s visual allure, these advertisements also symbolize a capitalist society run amok. Making Things More Better subverts the present state of hyper-consumption with a series of hypothetical ad campaigns set in the near or distant future. These campaigns borrow the aesthetic of public posters, but make delirious speculations about where capitalism may lead.

While Making Things More Better invites participation with different possible futures, Without You addresses one specific scenario: a future in which humanity has vanished. In a monologue directed at the viewer, the voice of an artwork questions its own identity and dreams about the possibilities for art without a human audience.

Supernovel experiments with the medium of art viewership, treating text, environment, and audience as equal actors. Without You is a self-reflective artwork vainly seeking direct contact with the audience, while Making Things More Better invites the audience to explore alternative realities that unfold along Sunset Boulevard, turning the city into part of the work.

Canary and the artists have also partnered with Infrastructure.la for a gallery excursion on December 2nd, 2023. The excursion will feature a biking and walking tour of clandestine private parks in Los Angeles and a discussion with the artists. The tour will begin on bike and end on foot. Metro bikes will be available at the biking start point. Please join for the entire tour, or just the walking portion. See this link for full details.

Esper Postma & Maurits Koster

Esper Postma makes installations in which he alters and collages forms of cultural heritage. His works show how familiar spaces, objects and icons allow for a plethora of meanings. For this project he collaborated with Dutch artist Maurits Koster, an artist based in both Amsterdam and London where he finished his MFA Fine Art at Goldsmiths University.