28/4/2010
Cyrill Lachauer
Traversee, Munich
In Lachauer's new works, the examination of his own academic biography can still be felt - the piece Traurige Tropen (Tristes Tropiques) for example refers to the book by Levi-Strauss of the same title - but it constantly diminuishes. Hence the artist increasingly deals with the question what happens when objects and signs are removed from their original context and are therefore changed.
Science means thriving for knowledge. A critical treatment of the own sources and experiment arrangements is one of the bases of all research, as only this way objective conclusions regarding the subject of study can be achieved. The possibility of such a neutral point of view towards the world has however been massively questioned during the last decades.
Mainly within the humanities, this claim of objectivity was vehemently doubted by pointing out how for instance every interpretation of the past finally proves to be a product of fiction. Amongst others, the writings of the ethnologist and anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss served as core texts for this change, which marked the discourse as linguistic turn.
Cyrill Lachauer also studied ethnology. This ethnological viewpoint can be found in his works dealing with places and people. However, Lachenauer, born in 1979, faces the academic discipline and its methods rather critically. For instance, he called his 2008 exhibition at Munich´s art gallery Lothringer13 ?Research and Destroy“: The title hints at a millitary strategy used once by the American army in Vietnam to prevail the jungle war.
Lachauer transfers the tracking and rigorous course of action against guerilla troops onto the scientific encounter with the alien or the other as stated in the postcolonial studies following up on Edward Said: The exploration and development of non-western countries also partly symbolizes their destruction, already for the sheer reason that every viewer unconsciously projects his own experiences and perceptions onto the objects of his interest.
In Lachauer´s new works, the examination of his own academic biography can still be felt – the piece ?Traurige Tropen“ (Tristes Tropiques) for example refers to the book by Lévi-Strauss of the same title – but it constantly diminuishes. Hence the artist increasingly deals with the question what happens when objects and signs are removed from their original context and are therefore changed.
Extract from Sven Beckstette, exhibition text on Cyrill Lachauer, traversée april 2010
Cyrill Lachauer born in 1979 in Rosenheim, Bavaria, is currently enrolled with Prof. Lothar Baumgarten at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Until 2006 he studied ethnology at the Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität München. Lachauer has travelled extensively to India, South America, Africa and the Bavarian Alps. In collaboration with Alexander and Immanuel Hick (camera) he realized make no way the way, a video documentary shot at the coast of Ireland, which was nominated for “The Golden Key” at the Kassel documentary festival in 2007. In 2008 Lachauer received the 3sat prize at the International Shortfilm Festival Oberhausen for i killed the butterflies. He lives and works in Berlin and when travelling.
Image: Cyrill Lachauer: Salvador de Bahia, C-Print, 28 x 20 cm, 2010
Opening thursday April 29th, 6-10pm
Galerie Traversee
Türkenstrasse 11, München
hours: tue-fri 11-19, Sat 11-17
free admission