10 years of panting
Month: September 2009
“Always Almost There” by Scott Campbell
Daniel Guzman
Dara Birnbaum – First statements and then some
Lei Xue
Joe Ledbetter “Shock & Awe”
Eske Kath::..
NAMAZU-Eclipse, ESKE KATH
In his new exhibition NAMAZU-Eclipse Eske Kath moves his works into a space bordered on one side by destructive threat and on the other colorful vitality.
In the Japanese myth of the “Namazu”, the eponymous giant catfish rests in the mud under Japan and is kept in check by a holy stone yielded by the god Kashima. Whenever Kashima lets go of the stone Namazu causes earthquakes by moving around. Not doing this by intent, but rather by nature, Namazu is often depictured, not only as a destroyer, but also as catalyzing economic growth and development for the survivors.
Traditionally this cycle of destruction and reconstruction was depicted in Japanese woodcuts called Namazu-e, casting Namazu, often shown as a man with a fishhead, as both a villain and a rectifier. Kath considers his pieces his own Namazu-e. In his works the Namazu could be viewed as nature itself setting houses, representing our structured world, in rotation and throwing them around as Lego bricks.
Following this train of thought NAMAZU-Eclipse is based on old beliefs and myths being continuously replaced by new ones that in turn will be replaced by others. Just as science has taken the place of religion and so forth.
In NAMAZU-Eclipse the Danish artist juxtaposes the Namazu, not only to newer times, but also to another symbol: the sun – the epitome of life, light and warmth. However, at present the sun is not only used to evoke positive associations. Global warming, cancer, radiation as well as science showing that the sun will burn up the earth in some billion years, is beginning to overshadow the traditional life-giving symbolism of the sun.
Eske Kath skillfully uses the old Japanese Namazu myth as a negative symbol of devastation, but one which, also has the positive traits of a rectifier and redeemer. In direct relation to that there is the original and positive symbol of the sun as a Creator force, though tainted by a dark side of destruction.
In the gallery these ideas and concepts are represented by a floor installation, as well as a variety of sculptures, paintingsand collages on the walls, the contemporary Namazu-e of Eske Kath.
Peter Zimmermann
PETER ZIMMERMANN For his first solo exhibition in Berlin, Peter Zimmermann utilizes two rooms of the Michael Janssen Gallery. In the first room, visitors come across two of his new sculptures. The current exhibition shows this special body of work to a wider audience for the first time. Zimmermann has been using epoxy resin for his pictures for two decades already, but it is only in recent years that he has also used the material to create three-dimensional works. With their intense colors, they unmistakably set themselves apart from the grey floor and white walls. At the same time, they take on an organic form, resembling oversized drops of a fluid that has been spilled accidentally. Yet a closer look reveals the complex structure of the sculptures. Their shiny, running surfaces give the impression of soft, upholstered objects. Sometimes it’s even difficult to resist the temptation to prod them with a foot or poke at them with a finger. This is due to the material that they are made of. In its unprocessed state, epoxy resin is colorless and liquid. Zimmermann blends the liquid with pigments, using it to form layers. When the resin dries, it creates hard, stable, heavy formations. A similar effect can be observed with the pictures in the second room. The same method of production is used to create large format canvases. As his starting point, Zimmermann uses digitized motifs taken from sections of earlier works or found on the internet, television or other sources. He manipulates them using Photoshop, combining details from different motifs in order to make a one-to-one template, which allows him to transfer the contours of the various patterns onto the canvas. With the additional use of stencils, the colored epoxy resin is then poured onto the surface. This happens layer by layer, with lighter colors being applied first. One special characteristic of the material is that, despite the use of a clear template, the final results vary. There is always an inevitable element of fortuity contributing to the process. The various layers of epoxy interact with each other in order to create the nuances that are ultimately appreciated in the finished work. The resulting smooth and transparent surfaces take on a captivating luminescence, which magically attracts the beholder. On one hand, the pieces embody a lightness that suggests dried soap bubbles. On the other hand, the substance is applied across the entire surface of the painting, yet each layer of color contributes relief-like elevations, giving the pictures a sculptural presence and a spacial impact. It almost seems as if the color wants to venture beyond the borders of the canvas, as if it had been difficult to restrain. The gleaming, irregular surfaces reflect the surrounding area, distorting it. When standing in the exhibition room, with the walls almost seamlessly absorbing the large format works, the viewer is confronted with an opulence that is almost overwhelming. Peter Zimmermann’s painting defies all attempts at categorization, although the influence of action painting and its main exponent Jackson Pollock is clearly apparent. Peter Zimmermann (born 1956 in Freiburg) lives and works in Cologne. He studied at the Academy of Art and Design in Stuttgart. From 2002 to 2007, he was a professor at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. His solo exhibitions have featured at important European and American institutions: “Wheels” at the Nuremberg Kunsthalle in 2007, “Current: Peter Zimmermann” at the Museum of Art in Columbus OH in 2008, and recently, the significant retrospective “All You Need” at the Museum of Modern Art Kärtnen in Klagenfurt, for which an extensive catalogue has been published. Galerie Michael Janssen
Roman Ondák – Rear Room
Roman Ondák – Rear Room
Johnen Galerie is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of Roman Ondák in conjunction with the unveiling their new gallery space in Mitte at Mariennstrasse. Roman Ondák is currently showing at the 2009 Venice Biennale (Slovakian Pavilion), MoMA in New York and the Hamburger Bahnhof exhibition, “Die Kunst ist super!”
The selection of early works from 1996-2001 all pertain to the idea of space and its perception. Shared Floor, 1996, Untitled (Wall), 1997, Freed Doorway, 1998 and Untitled, 1998 are each made from real found elements from different apartments and galleries. Each element refers directly to architectural structures of these former sites, although when originally in situ, they were in a certain sense invisible: the objects were such an inherent part of any room that the viewer did not pay any particular attention to them.
In Shared Floor, for example, the parquet flooring of a room was removed and then reassembled in the outline of its original shape on the gallery floor. The electric sockets from the same room were dismantled and affixed to metal rods, which were then attached to the parquet floor, thus simulating their original positions in the walls while retaining the same spatial relationship to the floor.
Freed Doorway shows a door that has been cropped: its edges have been cut and the door itself is now dysfunctional. It has been negated from its relation to the doorframe to which it belonged. The door now leans against the wall of a gallery.
Untitled occupies the whole room with only several tiny pieces, such as electric sockets and traces of water pipes. They are pushed out a few centimeters from the wall by metal rods, thereby implying the surface of a fictional wall, which could stand in front of the real gallery wall.
A panel from a gallery has been relocated to the exhibition in Untitled (Wall). The panel leans against the wall, as if it were a remnant from the construction of the exhibition. Upon closer inspection, however, one notices that the panel still has an electric socket completely intact, while its back casing remains hidden behind the panel in the gallery wall.
In addition, there are two works that directly link the gallery’s interior with its exterior. The work Colour and Size, 1999 draws from the view of the trees in the gallery windows of the rear room. One window is left open and next to it, a white shoe box has been installed. With a circle cut out in the front and its top slightly sloping on the sides, the shoebox is reminiscent of a birdhouse. Below the hole is the shoebox’s original sticker that reads, “Colour/Black; Size/36,” which absurdly conflates the description of shoes with the taxonomy of birds: it seems to say that only those birds that are black and can fit in the 36mm hole are allowed to enter.
Untitled (Traffic), 2001 consists of a red emergency-exit hammer that has been removed from a bus and installed next to the window of the gallery. The windows of the gallery make a strange reference to a bus, especially when such a hammer is installed next to the windows: its very presence summons visions of undesirable but possible bus accidents. Moreover, in the gallery, it suggests that the viewer might yet find one more way to leave the exhibition other than the way he came in.
The new Gallery Building on Marienstrasse 10, formly the location of the architect O. M. Ungers’ Berlin office, houses Johnen Galerie, Krobath, and ph-projects. It is a block away from the Boros Collection and minutes from the Hamburger Bahnhof. Johnen Galerie artist Robert Kusmirowski will transform the staircase into a large installation. He will have a solo exhibition at the Barbican Art Gallery from September 30 – January 2010 and is also exhibiting at the current Hamburger Bahnhof exhibition “Die Kunst ist super”. Johnen Galerie will participate in Art Forum Berlin in Hall 20 Booth 136 from September 24.
