CHRONOSTASIS

Galerie Sara Lily Perez is pleased to present Chronostasis, featuring Wolfgang Flad. Borrowing its title from the phenomenon of “chronostasis” , a temporal illusion in which the first moment of perception is strangely prolonged, as in the stopped,clock illusion when a clock’s second hand seems frozen at first glance, the exhibition stages a conversation about time, stillness, and the act of seeing. Through Flad’s sculptures, Chronostasis explores how art can suspend time’s passage, illuminating instants that usually evade conscious notice.​

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Wolfgang Flad, makes time palpable through three,dimensional forms that capture motion in suspension. His sculptures, primarily crafted from wood and mixed media, incorporate upcycled paper pulp from shredded art publications, material imbued with fragments of art history. These elements are shaped into sinuous, abstract structures that seem to twist and grow organically, often suspended from ceilings or walls. Their forms evoke interconnected tree branches or mammal bones, possessing an “inherently naturalistic quality” and echoing patterns from neurons to celestial orbits.

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Despite their dynamic curves, each piece captures a moment of arrested energy. As Flad describes, his work centers on “the main motive of freezing the movement of a huge, spontaneous, and dynamic gesture.” Polished, geometric surfaces contrast with rough, fibrous edges, merging stillness and growth within a single form. This tension suggests a metamorphosis paused in time. The reclaimed paper adds a temporal depth, past narratives compressed into new, living shapes. In this way, the sculptures embody what Flad calls a “hidden life within,” where stasis pulses with latent transformation.