Supernovel

Recent crises, such as global warming, political polarization, and growing economic disparity, have contributed to a collective sense of instability. In Supernovel, artists Esper Postma and Maurits Koster respond to this insecurity by speculating on possible futures through two text-based works: Without You, a video installation inside Canary Test, and Making Things More Better, a series of posters occupying public advertisement spaces along Sunset Boulevard. It’s difficult to imagine Los Angeles without its dense variety of public advertisements. While this contributes to the city’s visual allure, these advertisements also symbolize a capitalist society run amok. Making Things More Better subverts the present state of hyper-consumption with a series of hypothetical ad campaigns set in the near or distant future. These campaigns borrow the aesthetic of public posters, but make delirious speculations about where capitalism may lead. While Making Things More Better invites participation with different possible futures, Without You addresses one specific scenario: a future in which humanity has vanished. In a monologue directed at the viewer, the voice of an artwork questions its own identity and dreams about the possibilities for art without a human audience. Supernovel experiments with the medium of art viewership, treating text, environment, and audience as equal actors. Without You is a self-reflective artwork vainly seeking direct contact with the audience, while Making Things More Better invites the audience to explore alternative realities that unfold along Sunset Boulevard, turning the city into part of the work.