Immanuel Birkert / Artjom Chepovetskyy / Laura Diehm /
Hannah Heilmann / Jennifer Herr /
Ekaterina Hildmann (Ekaterina Leo) / Anette Kaiser (Aneta Kajzer) / Marcel Kimble / Laurenz Lin Sill / Magdalena Maurer /
Sophie Meurer / Marvin Pasch / Alina Röbke / Thorsten Salamon /
Lea Schäfer / Diana Taddayoni
The group exhibition "Cosmic Latte" at Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden represents a snapshot of Anne Bernings painting class at the Academy of Fine Arts Mainz, and shows the complexity of current artistic positions.
Researchers at John Hopkins University in Baltimore labelled the average of all colors of light within the universe ‘Cosmic Latte’ – a light beige to white-ish color, which gives, as a metaphorical surrogate, a tangible order to the variety of colors of the various celestial bodies. Also, the class system of an Art Academy puts the group of young artists under the concept of painting class'. However, Anne Berning, artist and professor of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Mainz, understands her approach of teaching on the basis of an open concept of painting: "Besides classical forms of painting, the involvement of questions about color, space and the picture also offers the possibility to find expressions in other types of media." The works of the artists at the Kunstverein span from painting to drawing as well as photography and video up to sculptural works and performances.
Within the class, references, ways of working and points of departure are multifarious. The two poles of abstraction and figuration often confront each other within the artistic positions of the exhibition. In their direct neighbourhood they often refer to painting as a process as well as the independence of color, indicating the various possibilities of pictorial invention.
After the intuitive act of drawing is done Anette Kaiser (Aneta Kajzer) uses a critical eye to select pieces that best represent an artistic essence. Her sculptural piece combines the level of abstraction of her drawings with the medium of sculpture. Through an intuitive way of painting, the abstract and planar works of Magdalena Maurer, Diana Taddayoni, Hannah Heilmann and Artjom Chepovetskyy capture colorful landscapes as well as urban snapshots of everyday life and explore the limits and possibilities of their medium. On the other hand, they digest personal experiences in their inscenations.
The absurd, gloomy and sometimes even unsettling portraits of Sophie Meurer, Laura Diehm Laurenz Lin Sill and Thorsten Salamon allude both to the inner fragmentation of individuals and their relations to each other and of the self. With gestic brushwork and lively colors, Marcel Kimble creates a deep atmosphere and intimacy – persons become personalities, portraits become allegories. In the implied metaphors of Ekaterina Hildmanns (Ekaterina Leo) bear-pictures, her cultural background is reflected. Bizarre protagonists appear in Lea Schäfers dreamworlds without specific dimension.
The inherent characteristics of material and medium, interesting contrasts of surfaces as well as the different consequential layers of meaning stand in the foreground of the photographic and sculptural works in the exhibition. Techniques like interferences and disassociation in the photo-collages of Alina Röbke as well as the sculptural assemblages of found and processed objects of Marvin Pasch transcend a narrow concept of painting. In his works and performances, Immanuel Birkert ironically takes a position on arthistorical models and translates traditional sujets into a contemporary visual language, to shine a light on elementary questions of artistic practice. Likewise, Jennifer Herr exposes the perception of socially constructed roles in everaday-life in a performative way.
The exhibition shows a tension-filled structure of different artistic positions and a cross-section through contemporary practices in the field of painting and above (darüber hinaus).
