Agnes Danes’s show 'Absolutes and Intermediates', currently showing at The Shed, presents an extensive survey of Denes’s work from the 1960’s to the present day. The work exhibited shows a wide range of her mathematical drawings, anatomical studies, meticulously rendered graphs, philosophical prose and striking poetics in addition to her more widely acclaimed environmental instillations and ecological remediation projects. As a whole, the pure volume and comprehensiveness of the work was overwhelmingly impressive.
Whilst the content of the work is intellectually ambitious to the point of almost alienating the viewer, it seems that Denes creates work that is aided by science, mathematics, philosophy, linguistics, ecology, and psychology in order for her to be able to analyze, document, and ultimately aid humanity. The work emits a strong feeling of inquisitiveness that seems to be more concerned with a process of understanding than it is about coming to any sort of concrete conclusion.
The image of Denes that emerges through this selection of work is both prolific and intellectually hungry. Her dedication to understanding the human condition in relation to the physical space we inhabit demonstrates her agency for real-world change as much as it shows her profound artistic ability.
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