Pulse: Electric Mannerism is a solo show of ha:ar, the artist duo consisting of the sculptor Hande Şekerciler and the new media artist Arda Yalkın. The exhibition has been exhibited in three locations: at GAD - Giudecca Art District (19 June - 26 September 2021, Venice IT) and Scalo Lambrate (1 - 26 August 2021, Milan IT), online in Decentraland (19 June 2021 - 18 September 2022).

"How does reinterpreting the past through the lens of the present help us understand our own times? Faced with the postmodernist loss of reference points, we reconnect with our past to orientate ourselves, bridging our vision into a future that ushers everyday life into an increasingly pervasive technological dimension.

ha:ar explore the great masters of the Renaissance and Baroque periods in relation to a physical and virtual environment wherein the artists create a number of compositions that reinterpret the past with a view on the future. Suggesting a Mannerist influence, every element of ha:ar’s work is characterised by a dramatic bodily tension, portrayed in mystical poses and surrounded by clouds that are reminiscent of a celestial Baroque painting. The technology adopted by the artists does not intend to stand in the way of the viewer or to become the focus of the aesthetic experience; rather, it aids in the discovery of new meanings.

Pulse: Electric Mannerism explores the mirroring of digital and tangible realities by placing the duo's works in dialogue with Hande’s sculptures, whose genesis remains linked to the virtual world of 3D modelling. Starting from a human figure that appears immersed in a Renaissance echo, the artist subverts the identity of the subjects, freeing them from characterising elements such as hair and clothing. This allows the viewer to see the bodies beyond any social construction as they are anonymously, projected into our contemporary dimension.

The physical exhibition experience is then taken to another level through Augmented Reality. Thanks to this technology and in partnership with Garage Atlas, the works and sculptures that could not be created in the real world will appear in the space virtually, in dialogue with the audience and the environment."

(Chiara Braidotti, Filippo Lorenzin, Serena Tabacchi, curators)