KORESPONDENCJA - KORRESPONDENZ

The Polish-German art project titled Korespondencja / Korespondenz was conceived as a cooperation between the Contemporary Art Gallery in Opole and the Verein Berliner Kunstler in Berlin.

Among several dozen submissions from Opole and Berlin, the curators, art historians and artists associated with the CAG and VBK have chosen those that will be shown in Opole (June 2010) and Berlin (July 2010). The Opole gallery picked 17 German artists whose work will be displayed in its halls; by the same token, the Berlin association chose 17 Polish artists whose work will be promoted in Germany.

Correspondence Exhibition in Opole

         The June exhibition in Opole showcases works of 17 artists associated with the VBK in Berlin. The artists organised under the aegis of the VBK do not represent a unified artistic programme; each one of them is propelled by an individualistic artistic agenda that leads to independent projects. For this reason, the Opole exhibition is interdisciplinary and multi-thematic in nature. It shows how wide the range of German artists' attitudes is in their approach to art-related issues, how they deal with a variety of subjects taken from all areas of life.  

         The painting, by and large the dominant factor at the exhibition, may be divided in a traditional manner into abstract and figurative, inspired by a variety of approaches in art history. The human figure appears in many paintings in the context of a city, landscape, or as an insertion into abstract space. The texture of urbanity is particularly striking in the work of Barbara Czarnojahn, who depicts - in expressionist form - streets, factories and people who mingle among the city's hustle and bustle. The pieces point back to the painting technique practiced by the artists under the new expressionist label characteristic of painting in the 1980s. Similar in expression are the paintings by Marianne Gielen, enriched by especially evocative colours. Expressionist representation of human figures is also visible in the painting of Inge H. Schmidt. The human figure dominates the work of Andrea Streit, even if at the level of form it shows a completely different approach to art. The artist "frames" her pieces in the characteristic manner reminiscent of photography or, perhaps, it is a painterly attempt to refashion photographic vision - we see human subjects emerging from the crowd, blending into a neutral background. Figures are shown from the bird's eye perspective or from that of a frog. A different kind of painterly representation is displayed in the work of Silke Bartsch. The characteristic feature of her work is the cool colour palette: purples, light blues, whites. The artist depicts abandoned spaces and wooden structures - sheds or an observation tower that resembles a sniper's lookout. The manner of composition and the choice of subject introduce certain unease, while the cool colours build tension. The exhibition also features black-and-white photography. The alienated human figure also dominates in the work of Sybille Hoessler, in which the human figure is depicted against black-and-white landscape background. Manfred M. Sackmenn's photographs, on the other hand, show young people whose figures are "pixellated" on purpose to convey an atmosphere of anxiety.  

A few other works on display are examples of abstraction. In her painting, Monika Bartsch composes cool colours in an expressionist way - she multiplies decisive brush strokes in earthy hues. 

Ulrike Frank "sinks" blueprints of Gothic basilicas, musical notation and fragments of old prints into abstract, warm stains of colour.  A unique approach to drawing and computer graphic design is presented by Jurgen Kelling, who draws in ink with a succession of short lines gathered into chaotic clusters.  Arnika Grosse's computer graphics are an aesthetically refined attempt to mimic street art - chalk drawings on city walls or sidewalks.  On surfaces that imitate the rough texture of urban spaces, the artist situates fragments of advertisements or draws lines that resemble "hopscotch".

Another group of works by German artists contains spatial forms. Two installations dominate it - one by Monika Ortmann, who "annexed" the Annex gallery, and the other Helga Wagner's projects, metaphysical in expression. Klaudia Hartwig displays objects made of jute and of wire. They are crochet-like and inspired by organic forms. The works by Jutta Barth are highly original - small figurines that turn out to be plaster trunks of human bodies.  

         The exhibition in Opole demonstrates the wide range of themes and techniques that interest contemporary artists in Germany.

The exhibition is open daily from June 3 to 27, between the hours of 10.00 and 18.00.