Quantum Wuthering Heights

An art exhibition by Carl Gopalkrishnan opens today, January 17, in Northbridge, Perth, Australia and has attracted our attention:

“We’ll Always Have Paris: Bent Tales from the Sub-Atomic”

Carl Gopalkrishnan has been exhibiting in Australia and the US since 1987. His artwork has always been about explorations in Conciousness Studies, from the perspective of society and personal relationships to politics. “We’ll Always Have Paris” focuses specifically on Carl’s interest in quantum theory and how it might twist ordinary life.

Einstein once referred to quantum physics as a ’spooky’ science because it challenges all aspects of what we associate with what is ‘normal’ (or the classic physics of Isaac Newton). Carl says that the more he learnt about quantum theory, the more he realised that these traditional laws of physics are still used to describe things - our histories and identities. He poses the question, “what if we erased those assumptions and read our stories with new laws, what would they look like?”

In this show, Carl explores these theories in a more imaginative and playful framework using well known public myths and literature. For example, in one set of paintings he looks at the 1997 death of Princess Diana. In another, the fictional characters, Cathy-Heathcliff-Cathy from Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Schrodinger’s Cat story used to explain quantum theory.

He grounds the pictures in the cliché “We’ll always have Paris”, used by lovers to recover lost memory, feeling, imagination and a reference point to measure time in their life.

Please join us for opening drinks on Thursday the 17th January at 6pm.
The exhibition runs until the 1st February, 11am - 6pm daily.

Keith and Lottie
276 William Street
Northbridge WA 6003.

In the picture:

wuthering shanghai, 2007
acrylic, stencil and spray on canvas
A2 approx (Source)

The artist describes his painting like this:

Explorations of quantum theory (many worlds) using analogy with characters from Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I have spent over 16 mths researching the 'many worlds theory' and my paintings explore that transition from classical to quantum physics. It takes an irreverent look at iconic stories, in order to suggest that reality is an observed phenomena.

Categories: Art-Exhibitions, Wuthering Heights