NOMA BAR
Which Came First?, 2013
95(w) x 127(h) cm
Screenprint on 410gsm Somerset Satin with hand embossing and hand torn edge
Edition of 15
PRICE (INCL. VAT)
£1800.00
First you see a question mark, then the head of a chicken. It’s a question about a chicken, what is this? Now the more inquisitive will look further into the image - there must be more. Ah there’s an egg! A question about a chicken and an egg, and there it is.
Which Came First? is Noma Bar’s excellently executed take on the question that’s had philosophers scratching their heads about the beginning of life for years. And since the conundrum’s first emergence (which apparently dates back to the times of Aristotle), it’s now commonly used to describe everyday dilemmas that are not necessarily philosophical, but are somehow impossible to solve. Noma’s working practice sees him resolving problems visually on a daily basis as he’s faced with briefs that require him to transform ideas into his clean and simple signature style of communicating. So there’s a fantastic connection here in Which Came First? as the artist fuses the conceptual focus of the work with references to personal obstacles he may have encountered while creating it.
Witty, entertaining and interactive, Which Came First? is my favourite of the four large-scale screenprint editions we’ve created with Noma over the past few weeks. When we showed the prints in New York earlier this month, although the other three pieces Facing Up, Look Out and Evolutionary Thought - which looked stunning exhibited together as a series on one wall - grabbed the attention of passers by, it was the chicken and the egg that made them smile the most and held their attention the longest.
In an edition of just 15, this print is more exclusive than the former three (which are editions of 50) and has had hand-embossing applied to the high gloss red areas to make them rise above the surface of the paper. In contrast to the shiny black of the previous editions, here the backdrop is more of a matted charcoal giving a slightly urban feel, achieved by mixing a small amount of silver in with the black ink. With an appearance almost like sand paper, this textured surface is very delicate and acts as a fantastic contrast to the varnished red areas it sits next to.
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