“My work aims at questioning the interplay between life and artificial structures. I am focusing on how we get conditioned in the ongoing experiment of technologies in transformation. By contrasting intuitive gestures with various technological languages, a playing field between function and uselessness is created to not forget humane qualities in an ever more artificial, calculated, revenue-minded and data-driven world.”
Ruben Mols studied at the Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, and received his Bachelor of Fine Art at AKV St.Joost, Breda. In 2016, he won the prestigious St. Joostpenning.
On Moving & Storage | solo exhibition Frank Taal Galerie 16.02.2025 - 05.04.20265
Throughout the digital revolution, our relationship with technology has shifted from immediate physical interactions to more abstract, digital experiences. Early electronics required direct, hands-on interaction. Devices like radios, tape recorders or early computers had physical buttons, made for fingers, knobs and dials that users had to manipulate. The process of pressing a button, turning a dial or inserting a disk created a clear, tangible connection between the user and the technology. Making the experience of using technology direct and personal, with a sense of intentionality and control. This sense of direct contact is lacking today's touchscreens and prompts. We are gliding over the textureless and smooth surface of our smart-phones, stream digital content without the need of storing vinyl-records, VHS-tapes or CD's. It evokes a disembodied feeling, with technology becoming more like an invisible force or idea rather than something concrete and physical. What qualities are lost in transitioning from analogue to digital? And how can the sculptural medium, that traditionally involves the shaping and manipulation of matter, play a role in reflecting on digital and immaterial trends?
In his exhibition 'Moving & Storage', Ruben Mols explores these questions. Here he presents two new series of sculptures that address the cognitive connection we have with our electronic devices, how they have changed and in turn changed us and the way we act. Both series play with scale and enlargement, emphasizing physical presence over 'implied' digital function. The works are the result of an intricate artistic process that blends the use of industrial techniques and tools with traditional techniques and material knowledge. This marriage between industrial production and hand-craft aims to renegotiate the tight-linked relation between humans and machines. By reinterpreting familiar and unfamiliar objects and visual languages, Ruben invites the audience to reflect on our technological environments (past and present) and our expanding technological selves.
Ruben Mols studied at the Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, and received his Bachelor of Fine Art at AKV St.Joost, Breda. In 2016, he won the prestigious St. Joostpenning.
On Moving & Storage | solo exhibition Frank Taal Galerie 16.02.2025 - 05.04.20265
Throughout the digital revolution, our relationship with technology has shifted from immediate physical interactions to more abstract, digital experiences. Early electronics required direct, hands-on interaction. Devices like radios, tape recorders or early computers had physical buttons, made for fingers, knobs and dials that users had to manipulate. The process of pressing a button, turning a dial or inserting a disk created a clear, tangible connection between the user and the technology. Making the experience of using technology direct and personal, with a sense of intentionality and control. This sense of direct contact is lacking today's touchscreens and prompts. We are gliding over the textureless and smooth surface of our smart-phones, stream digital content without the need of storing vinyl-records, VHS-tapes or CD's. It evokes a disembodied feeling, with technology becoming more like an invisible force or idea rather than something concrete and physical. What qualities are lost in transitioning from analogue to digital? And how can the sculptural medium, that traditionally involves the shaping and manipulation of matter, play a role in reflecting on digital and immaterial trends?
In his exhibition 'Moving & Storage', Ruben Mols explores these questions. Here he presents two new series of sculptures that address the cognitive connection we have with our electronic devices, how they have changed and in turn changed us and the way we act. Both series play with scale and enlargement, emphasizing physical presence over 'implied' digital function. The works are the result of an intricate artistic process that blends the use of industrial techniques and tools with traditional techniques and material knowledge. This marriage between industrial production and hand-craft aims to renegotiate the tight-linked relation between humans and machines. By reinterpreting familiar and unfamiliar objects and visual languages, Ruben invites the audience to reflect on our technological environments (past and present) and our expanding technological selves.
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