DREI (Three) Henrik Jacob, Jaroslav Kysa, Steve Viezens

Opening reception: Friday, May 2, 2008

Antje Wachs Gallery is very pleased to present a group exhibition that unites three different works by the young artists Henrik Jacobs, Jaroslav Kysa and Steve Viezens.

Entering the gallery the viewer is confronted with large sculptures on the floor created by young Slovak artist Jaroslav Kysa (*1981): alike huge, liquid oil blods the shiny, black objects cover the floor at the entrance area of the gallery. The presented video „Living fountain“ points up the handling with the apparent materiality of oil and a dependance on Bruce Nauman’s work „Self Portrait as a Fountain“ (1966). Alike Nauman Kysa pursues the approach of turning oneself into the object of art by analysing the parameters of art and the artist’s own role. This personal and emotional examination results in objects of formal beauty which - through their reflecting, luxury surface – play with one of the most valuable and powerful symbols of the globalised world and question their value system.

The main space of the gallery is formed by the painting „Feierabend“ („Closing Time“) by Leipzig artist Steve Viezens (*1981). It covers the entire wall. The black and white wall painting shows an interpretation of the drawing „Tail Piece, or The Bathos“ (1764) by William Hoghart. This etching by the English painter and graphic artist clearly expresses his negative and pessimistic attitude towards society shortly before his death. Viezens sees this sentimental picture as an allegory of the artistic mental state. In there, he identifies symbols of possible failure. In retrospect, dreams and objectives of artistic creation didn’t seem to be fulfilled. In dependance to the title „Nur ein Traum“ („Only a dream“) of Viezens last exhibition in the gallery in 2005, it stands to reason that he adopts this mood of a „The dream is over“ as his own and creates a dark, mysterious wall painting with integrated etchings.

The installation „I want to believe“ by the Berlin artist Henrik Jacobs (*1972) consists of a series of modelling clay dealing with the topic of catching sight of UFOs, of fotos with dots of modelling clay as UFO-surrogate / makeshift architecture as well as of two installations of objects together. The entire concept of the exhibition presents itself as a competition of the systems: an installation is fit into the project space of the gallery according to Feng Shui criteria which are completly unknown to the artist himself. The construction was carried out by the Feng Shui mistress Irene Marquardt who chose and allocated the exhibits depending on form, content, colour and effect on the room. Under similar terms, Henrik Jacob himself normally installs his exhibits, not under Feng Shui terms however. Does anything remain of the original installation that was mounted by the artist before in his studio? What is stronger: Art, faith, Feng Shui, the space? Henrik Jacob: „I want to believe’ that it turns out well.“

DREI (Three) Henrik Jacob, Jaroslav Kysa, Steve Viezens