Eksts works with photography, video and sculpture. An emphasis on form and structure over content defines much of his work; a pair of signs on which the text has been almost completely concealed suggests a series of infinite, open-ended possibilities. Tools are presented as ends instead of means, valued for their inherent potential rather than any definite product. Obsolete media are re-purposed as materials for drawing and sculpture.
For Cause Unknown Eksts has made a large-scale drawing in Tintype's window using 16mm film. He chose the specific pattern to resemble an infinite series of forking paths and fractured narratives in contrast to the linear narrative of a strip of film. The relationship between time and space is a defining preoccupation in this case the image can be described in terms of both metres and minutes.
His interest in the contrast between movement and stasis is further explored in Cause Unknown. The show features new work that combines video and sculpture: a pair of videos set in the Great Court at the British Museum forms the basis of an installation with 3D objects. Each video's viewpoint is depicted by the other video, creating a constant loop between the two.
Drawing connections between two points is further explored in the use of parabolic curves; the curve formed by an object thrown into the air and fallen back to earth. Parabola means to âthrow beside' and gives its name to âa parable'.
Eksts has also produced an online publication, Effect Unknown (unknown.eksts.com
), a multi-layered project consisting of a series of drawings and collages, overlaid with computer-generated animations of chains falling. Each chain repeats at different rates, creating new arrangements each time. Subtitles are transcribed from a television interview with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, who talk about the difficulties of playing doubles together as a married couple. The interview is
translated into various languages and back into English.