The first collaboration of Ermes Ermes and LC Queisser. of A group show divided into four chapters in the galleries’ spaces in Vienna and Tbilisi.

Starting as a cemented organism, recumbent on the sandy surfaces or rooted structures, scallops transform into free-living entities roaming the marine waters with peculiar independence. Adductor muscle palpation, accompanied by the frequency of clapping shells, prompts jet propulsion, enabling bivalves to swim actively, migrate in search of more appropriate habitats, affirming their cosmopolitan character, simultaneously symbolizing transition, transformation, and renewed contentment. A recurring metaphor of protection, nurture, and reconditioning, embodying the principle of Pilgrim journey, adopts new meaning in the current times of ongoing pandemic and spontaneous change. The autonomy carried by this complex lubricious muscle, which seems quite simple in structure, but is refined and re-elected throughout evolution, is enviable. A well-developed nervous system includes light-sensing eyes, which scallops use to recognize their position in the surrounding environment. Only marked by the central scar of attachment of the muscle to its shell, and the series of age rings, the genus let go of any external restraint, depending on a sole stable structure of symmetrical valves constructing a shell. This physical and material duality, translated into an abstract idea, emphasizes symbiotic alliances.

Stefanie Heinze
Sophio Medoidze
Nicola Pecoraro