IN-DEPENDANCE gallery is proud to present and warmly invites you to ‘Evidence of Absence’, a solo exhibition of Danish artist Adam Jeppesen, opening on 30 November 2024. The exhibition will coincide with the launch of his newest book ‘Evidence of Absence’, co-published by the(M) éditions & IBASHO.

With his new series, ‘Evidence of Absence’, Jeppesen seeks to provoke thought about the increasingly blurred boundaries between the biological and synthetic. Jeppesen’s works are anthotypes — images made from light-sensitive plant materials. He gathers plants to create natural dyes, which are then applied to paper or fabric. After drying, the paper or fabric is placed in the sun with a photo negative on top. The process allows the shaded areas to retain colour while the sun-exposed sections fade. The outcome is left to chance, shaped by both the season when the plants are harvested and the weather during development.

This tactile and organic process sharply contrasts with the ethereal, ghost-like motifs created through software. The portraits are intentionally abstract, not meant to be clear or recognisable but to evoke sensations, imagination, and memories. As recognising faces is one of our most instinctual human behaviours, Jeppesen’s work seeks to bridge the gap between our biological selves and the intangible, synthetic realm of software, giving the digital world a biological form.

With ‘Evidence of Absence’, Jeppesen offers a series of poetic and enigmatic images that echo the rising presence of artificial intelligence, inviting us to reflect on its profound existential and ethical impact. When we put our faith in technology that not only learns with remarkable speed and accurately simulates reality, but remains elusive, artificial intelligence becomes the invisible force of our time. It is the phantom of the modern age—a ghostly presence that quietly sustains our way of life while challenging the very pillars of democracy and the essence of truth itself.

Next to Jeppesen’s ‘Evidence of Absence’ works from his 2017 series ‘The Pond’ will be exhibited. The Pond springs from a fascination with that which perishes to allow something new to emerge. It is thus the transformative aspect of perishability that inspired Jeppesen’s series.

The title, The Pond, refers to a natural environment that Jeppesen sees as representative of natural processes that are beyond human control; a wild environment that has its own independent nature and processes and which defies attempts at management or control.