current exhibition

A succinct exhibition title, but one that hints at a multi-layered theme: Bilder (Images). Four artistic positions - all of which are directly related to Mannheim, since the artists either live or work in the city – are brought together to exemplify different and yet in certain aspects related approaches to the subject:

Maximilian Martinez, Ute Petry, Vroni Schwegler and Jutta Steudle.

Starting from the visible world, Ute Petry's (1927-2009) works, depicting shifted perspectives and proportions, lead into pictorial spaces between figuration and abstraction. Ute Petry built up atmospheric pictorial constructions emerging out of colour and with her specific iconography, including, for example a table, chairs, gloves or a feather as recurring motifs. Her quiet, self-contained pictorial worlds are often very poetic and at times somewhat mysterious.

Maximilian Martinez’ (*1987) painterly investigations into the world and into perception are more enigmatic. As in our memories, fragments of reality appear in entirely abstract islands of colour. At the same time, works with almost strikingly realistic depictions of well-known characters from pop culture form part of his œuvre. Fundamental for Maximilian Martinez’ work is the exploration of material colour. Beginning with the production of the paint, and continuing through an experimental painterly process, his approach leads to fundamental questions of perception.

The artistic process and the exploration of the material which is open ended, is also the starting point for Jutta Steudle's (*1972) pictorial objects. Steudle commences by colouring paper with acrylic paint and varnish and forms it by folding, crumpling or creasing into three-dimensional shapes. The form as well as the colour are determined beforehand, but during the work process the paper can tear or the varnish may crack. These partly accidental, sometimes consciously induced aspects are part of the work process, that turns flat paper into an amorphous form, merging inside and outside, top and bottom, back and front.

Vroni Schwegler (*1970) works within the tradition of the still life, her preferred motifs being animals and flowers. She always starts from the model and captures it in all its uniqueness, often set individually on the picture ground. Transience is omnipresent here, as is the incredible beauty of the motifs. In the details, the vanitas theme recedes behind the painting and on a closer look, colour sensations can be encountered. In her recent works Schwegler cuts the motifs out of the canvas and places them on the wall or on the floor. In these free arrangements painting and space combine and the image appears unbounded. The exhibition “Bilder” explores the question of the constant oscillation between image / abstraction, form / meaning.

We would like to thank the Künstlernachlässe Mannheim for the loan of Ute Petry’s works.