Arnis Balcus
dal 31/10/2007 al 22/12/2007
Segnalato da
31/10/2007
Arnis Balcus
Giedre Bartelt Galerie, Berlin
The artist shows his recent work from the series Flowers among with widely unseen photographs from Myself, Friends, Lovers and Others as well as video Episodes in his solo show entitled Stories about flowers, sex and lovers. Subjects are people at their homes and they are completely undressed and accompanied with flower or plant, chosen by them.
Stories about flowers, sex and lovers
It is the second solo exhibition by young Latvian photographer Arnis
Balcus in Berlin. A new work will be presented: ten large format lambda
prints from the series "Flowers", as well as widely unseen work from
the series "Myself, Friends, Lovers and Others" and video "Episodes.
"Flowers" is a series
on photographs the artist is currently working on in London, where he
currently lives. The artist photographs people at their homes and they
are completely undressed and accompanied with flower or plant, chosen
by them. Created in a classical portraiture manner the photographs try
to give an answer to the artist's question if flowers, just like pets,
resemble their owners. Since the flowers play a special role here, the
photographs are titled with their and not with the names of the
persons. Flowers are special attributes, which shield and moderate the
nakedness of humans, as they and beauty of nature lend innocence
transferred to the respective person.
The exhibition also showcase photographs from "Myself, Friends, Lovers
and Others", the series that has been previously shown in Balcus first
solo exhibition in Berlin three years ago. For this exhibition
previously unseen work has been selected. While the series "Flowers"
use set-up models and standard composition that at some point even
reminds painting, for instance Edouard Monet, "Myself, Friends, Lovers
and Others" style lies within snapshot aesthetic, where the private,
often explicit, is captured. If "Myself, Friends" is more playful,
spontaneous and youngish point-and-shoot way of looking at the world,
"Flowers" indicate more classical and set use of the medium. Both
series represent the evaluation of the artist's work over a decade and
use of his major subjects, such as sexuality, identity and gender.
The show also features a video version of Balcus' recently finished
project "Episodes, which is related to "Flowers by
accurate and
complex production as well as strictly composed framings. It is a slide
show with specially composed music. The project of the same name exists
also in the form of photographic series as well as two printed book
boxes. It consists of eight cinematic photo stories, where the artist
uses the language of the b-movies, trash cinema and comics. Based on
cliché plots about love and hate, good and bad, sex and violence Balcus
plays with these opposite stereotypes by switching and mixing
identities and disturbing the conventional narrative.
Opening on Thursday, November 01th 7-9 p.m.
Giedre Bartelt Galerie
Linienstrasse 161 - Berlin
Hours: Tues - Sat 2-6 p.m.
Free admission