Phase Transitions

Phase Transitions
Written by Alexandra Hesse

“The real art of conducting consists in transitions.” - Gustav Mahler

Phase Transitions is a body of work built upon the process of change and transformation—both as an external process and an internal experience. It examines the evolving relationship between beginning and end states as they unfold in both a lyrical and a physical sense.

The title of the exhibition comes from the scientific term for the process of change of physical state of matter—such as a solid melting into a liquid. It reflects parts of the artist’s personal journey from science to visual arts, challenging the perceived opposition between scientific explanation and the emotional experience of transformation. His work seeks a common thread in understanding the dynamics of transformation as both an experiential journey and a tangible, observable physical phenomenon.

Whitehead’s visual storytelling is an exploration of dualities. Drawing from his background in physics and mathematics, he creates a dialogue between structure and surrender, between order and disorder. This interplay generates a psychological tension—a power dynamic where precision and chaos coexist in an uneasy yet symbiotic relationship. His work echoes the tradition of surrealist cinema (Buñuel, Jodorowsky), particularly in its use of animals as a rejection of an anthropocentric worldview. By referencing elemental physical processes, he reaches for truths that lie beyond conscious experience. The fusion of horror and beauty in the works of Joel-Peter Witkin and Hans Bellmer has also influenced Whitehead’s approach, inviting the viewer into a dialogue between contrasting emotions.

Phase Transitions asks the viewer to consider the critical points in the journey between different states: At what moment does transformation occur? Can we ever exist purely in one state, or do multiple states coexist within us? Does transition create something entirely new, or is it simply a reconfiguration of what already exists? These questions resonate both in the emotional landscape of change and in the scientific study of matter itself.

As poignantly observed by Whitehead, "Whether it is the melting of wax, the thawing of ice, or the transformation from human to some other life form, something is revealed in the process of transformation that is both common and universal. Confronting change and accepting its nature is a hopeful and optimistic note, for that which is better understood is less likely to scare us.”