Bug Eyes

Hilary Galbreaith

4 April — 17 May 2019


‘‘From the street, we could think the space abandoned, the windows hastily boarded up from the inside with thick pieces of wood. Except that here and there, a touch of life shows through: a dirty lace curtain drawn over the chinks in the wooden planks that crisscross the glass, a glimpse of yellow light…the entire space is pervaded by a strange odor, a mix of dust and gravel, herbs and something reminiscent of the synthetic flavor of banana flavored candy.’’
Hilary Galbreaith


Hilary Galbreaith’s solo exhibition at In extenso presents the second part, in the form of a film-installation, of a three part fiction.

PART 1 – The Bureau (a zine published by Lendroit éditions in co-production with In extenso)
 
One morning, Sindee transforms into a stink bug. Curiously, this type of thing happens to quite a lot of people in her city, even if they remain a minority. In order to obtain help in overcoming the difficulties brought about by her metamorphosis, she notifies the Bureau of her new situation. What follows is a kafkaesque story in which we are plunged into the meanderings of administration and digital surveillance.

PART 2 – Bug Eyes (a film-installation)
 
Sick of the systems of power and control that surround her, Sindee responds to an ad from a butterfly with the face of a man. He proposes that she joins him and a group of isolationists in a house in the woods; Sindee goes off to live with them in seclusion from society. But this experiment in independence goes wrong, as the ad was actually published by a reality television series as a way to find new participants, of which Sindee is now one.

PART 3 – Parade (to follow)

Sindee rejoins society, where there are now more and more people having undergone a mutation, and she tries to improve the world. Bit by bit, the theatrical and burlesque side of their city takes over.

In the projection room, «Stoic & Stout» (2016), a video by German artist Paul Barsch, presents several leopard slugs crawling on a plasma lamp. The work alludes to the dark science fiction aesthetics of Hans Ruedi Giger, and stylizes the human perception of slugs as threatening, energetic, snake-like aliens that often lead to cruel mass murders by gardeners.


Born in 1989 in Florida, USA, Hilary Galbreaith lives and works in Rennes. She graduated from L’école supérieure d’art Annecy Alps in 2017. Her work has been presented in group exhibitions such as 40mcube’s ‘‘HubHug Sculpture Project’’ (Liffré), Rennes Art Weekend (Rennes), ‘‘Cellar Door’’ (Arondit, Paris), ‘‘Postpop’’ (Galerie Art et Essai, Rennes), and ‘‘HOPE’’ (newscenario.net). She is nominated for the prix Science Po pour l’art contemporain 2019.