until 20.04. | #2389ARTatBerlin | ALEXANDER OCHS PRIVATE presents from 22. March 2019 the exhibition FORMS OF INNOCENCE with artworks by Bianca Regl and Sofie Bird Møller.
The author Amy Sillman quotes the philosopher Walter Benjamin in her article ‘On Color’ as ‘color is a powerful form of innocence that can subvert the logic of capitalism’.
The idea behind our exhibition follows an initiative by the Austrian artist Bianca Regl, who lives in Beijing and has been running a large studio there for many years, where she designs exhibition projects with international artists. Even Regl, like many others, has had to vacate her studio twice already, using the logic of an unbridled globalized capitalism, the logic of the market: where real estate is built there is no room for art.
Bianca Regl, Innocent Forms (Tulips) / Azure, 2019, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 80 cm
Bianca Regl in her apartment in Vienna.
The artist paints images of tulips, examining the question of whether ‘color’ really represents a powerful form of innocence, whether it can undermine capitalism. Regl’s tulip paintings recur in art history as well as in the history of capitalism. In the ‘golden age’ of art, in the 17th century, tulip bulbs became a speculative object in the Netherlands and triggered the first stock market crash in 1637. At the same time, the Dutch tulip paintings were created. Artists painted tulips, they also speculated with tulip bulbs, some people went bankrupt.
In order to stay with Walter Benjamin, could the ‘color’ really change anything here? At least the art has survived and still images of tulips are painted. Like the ones by Regl, which give the artist the opportunity to no longer have to deal with narration and content, because all the tulips are already painted. So you give this motif the chance to concentrate solely on the color and the painting and continue to research here.
Sofie Bird Møller, o. T. (from the series ‘Erweiterte Monotypie’),
2018/19, Acrylic on Photo on Alu-Dibond, 83 x 58 cm
Sofie Bid Mølller in her Kreuzberg studio.
The Danish artist Sofie Bird Møller also leads the debate between ‘color and the market’ in her work, drawing on already existing images. As a rule, she uses glossy magazine photographs, eg. B. glamorous staged women or automobiles. She also uses advertising posters and leaflets, and while she overpainted these industrially printed motifs in the past, she now introduces a new form of image production. In addition to the image, she paints her own picture, often made up of superimposed color fields, and transfers it to the existing image carrier using a sophisticated process. Applied to the mentioned industrial product, the color here actually proves its innocence in subversion.
Bianca Regl in front of the poster to BLACKBRIDGE OFF.
As part of our exhibition, Bianca Regl will collaborate with the Viennese artist Anna Hofbauer on March 23 and they will present their joint Beijing project BLACKBRIDGE OFF. The interview will be moderated by the artist Frederik Foert, who lives and works in Berlin, Vienna and Beijing.
The Artists will be present at the opening.
Vernissage: Thursday, 21st March 2019, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.. The Artists will be present at the opening..
Please register for the vernissage and the Artist Talk by 19 March 2019 at sekretariat@alexanderochs-private.com or by calling +49 (0)30 – 4508 6878.
Exhibition period: Friday, 22nd March 2019 – Saturday, 20th April 2019
Artist Talk: Saturday, 23rd March 2019, 3:30 p.m., Bianca Regl and Anna Hofbauer in Conversation, moderated by Frederic Foert. Please register for the Artist Talk (see Vernissage).
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Image caption cover: Sofie Bird Møller, o. T. (from the series ‘Erweiterte Monotypie’), 2018/19, Acrylic on Photo on Alu-Dibond, 83 x 58 cm
Exhibition Bianca Regl + Sofie Bird Møller – ALEXANDER OCHS PRIVATE | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Exhibitions Berlin Galleries | ART at Berlin