Katrin Hoffert
dal 2/4/2009 al 15/5/2009
Segnalato da
2/4/2009
Katrin Hoffert
Galerie Martin Mertens, Berlin
Hunger. The artist presents a series of paintings. Most works of the show deal with the confrontation between humans and nature, more precisely: the manipulation of nature through humankind and the retaliation of mutilated and conquered nature.
“We R Here!” is written on a piece of cardboard, tied up on a tree in New
Orleans, shattered by the flood. The painting can be read in various ways.
We – humankind – have reached a point where the partially man-made natural
disasters are turning against our “culture” and our lives. Or is it just the
bewildering scurrility of the deserted view. Who is standing where and to
whom is the message addressed? The painting itself does not provide any
information.
Most works of the show deal with the confrontation between humans and
nature, more precisely: the manipulation of nature through humankind and the
retaliation of mutilated and conquered nature. The prohibition of natural
growth and respectively the advancement of a monstrous growth of nature by
means of genetic engineering are consistently recurring themes.
The title of the exhibition “Hunger” offers various interpretations. Besides
the association of starving people worldwide, who are suffering from the
disproportionate distribution of aliments, it can also be read as a “hunger”
for information, knowledge, love, images. Hoffert’s artistic principle of
filtering certain motives out of the daily flood of graphical material,
which is provided by the media, and to transform them by very specific means
into painting, remains unchanged. For the first time however she does amend
this principle in some of the paintings of the show with pictorial collages
on large canvas paintings, which have so far only been seen on her ink works
on paper. For example there’s a bird that feeds a small homunculus to its
offspring or there are scientists in a lab wearing surgical masks, who are
examining a floral arrangement like it was a viral culture or some sort of
strange unknown creature. Thereby the works of Hoffert obtain a surreal
character and also gain critical significance.
Opening: Friday, 3rd of April, 18-22 pm
Galerie Martin Mertens
Brunnenstrasse 185 - Berlin
Tuesday to Saturday 12:00 to 18:00 & by prior arrangement
Free admission