image: Scheisse - [R I P O ], 2011, china ink on paper, 50 x 70 cm
In Black & White
opening reception: Friday the 1 July 6:00 - 9:00 pm
exhibtion: 2.July - 27.August 2011
with artists:
Artúr van Balen
Julia Bulik
[ R I P O ]
Hannah Parr
Ingrid Simons
Jürgen Schwämmle
STiNK!
White:
A color without hue at one extreme end of the scale of grays, opposite to black. It is the ultimate limit of a series of shades of any color.
Black:
The color at one extreme end of the scale of grays, opposite to white, absorbing all light incident upon it. Compare white.
Allow yourself to be transported to a time when the visual media of today still awaited discovery. A family gathers around the television in 1940's American suburbia, eagerly awaiting the evening news program. The newscaster's thick-framed glasses contrast sharply with his bleached smile as his tinny voice announces war in a foreign country. The family listens intently, their naivety at that moment reverberating in the simplicity of the gray scale screen. They remain unaware of the technological advances that would occur in the next seventy years, and to the probability that the advent of the color television, computers, and entertainment systems, would quickly drain the simplicity from their existence. Imagining this moment allows us to pay homage to an age when people focused more on what they had, as opposed to what they thought they needed; a time where the word “iPod” would have triggered questions about Ray Bradbury’s upcoming science fiction novel. For many, through faded photographs and early films, black and white triggers a feeling of nostalgia for this seemingly prehistoric era. For others, perhaps the youth of today, this time in our history seems naught more than a frightening technological dead-zone. The world is now a very different place: futile wars are waged and multi-million dollar companies thrive, while communication technology continues to advance at a record-breaking pace. Simultaneously, the media bombard us with chaotic messages, attempting to drown us in a multi-colored sea of propaganda. This exhibition, In Black & White, allows us to explore the complexity of simplifying artwork to the confines of black and white. When considering the impact of this process on the artists’ works, you may be surprised to find that when color is extracted, black and white seems to be all we need.
For many of the artists involved in this exhibition, removing the element of color was a challenging restriction, one which demanded a certain amount of mental adjustment. How is it that simplification has become such a labyrinthine process? Consider in our society the infrequency with which one observes a black and white advertisement while flipping through a magazine or walking down the street. Most advertisers associate completeness and wholeness with color, giving the impression that lack of hue connotates a lack of meaning. Somehow, color has become synonymous with complete expression- but is that really the case? Defiantly answering this question is the work of Hannah Parr. She employs themes of contrast in chaos while diverging from her signature use of color, proving that the pieces speak to us profoundly even in their black and white state. Artúr van Balen's thought-provoking work Sainsbury Chickens seems to mock the aforementioned notion of achromatic insignificance, as the starkness of the white porcelain draws even more attention to the physical shape of the chicken carcass by advertising a message of morality. van Balen’s message, which warns against the dangers of commodification, is communicated effectively without the use of pigment. The lack of color causes the viewer to focus more on the subject itself, and to observe how the crassness of the chicken carcass contrasts severely with the delicacy and elegance implied by the use of porcelain as the medium.
To further consider the concept of elegance as it is associated with the use of black and white, consider a historical event in which this theme prevailed through dress and decor: Truman Capote's iconic Black and White Ball of 1966. This event, considered to be the pinnacle of high society, turned a simple invitation into the ultimate social validation - receiving the invitation would determine whether you were 'in' or 'out' of the elite social circle. This affiliation between elegance and the use of black and white allows the viewer to consider the piece Sheisse by graffiti artist [ R I P O ] in a different light. This work dances between contrasts of black and white elegance, as seen in the art nouveau intricacy of the sweeping arcs and floral patterns, while at the same time presenting us with undefined splotches of grey that bring a certain roughness to the piece. Similarly, Julia Bulik's work, with it's intricate detail and distinguished botanical flair could have easily been featured at Capote's grande fête as an example of modernity and tastefulness.
Consider the meaning of the phrase 'in black and white'. Its definition indicates that a duality is present - that something must be either one way or another. This leaves leaves no room for the existence of the metaphorical grey area, and allows us the opportunity to think in antonyms such as positive-negative, right-wrong, correct-incorrect, honest-dishonest. Similar to the dichotomy present in Capote’s ‘in’ or ‘out’ guest list decision, dualities present themselves in all of these artists’ pieces. Jürgen Schwämmle's work with its simple tape-on-cardboard construction provides a certain honesty through the use of these materials. Inversely, a certain dishonestly is presented to the viewer by the addition of a YouTube play bar at the bottom of the piece, indicating that the scene occurred in reality, which, judging by the conflicting images he presents, was not the case. Similarly, the use of YouTube ties us back to the theme of black and white simplicity before the advent of modern visual technology, while complexity presents itself in through the use of this social media platform- one of the front-runners in the race to complicate the media landscape. The work of STiNK! remains ripe with political and social commentary and is interesting to consider in relation to the eternal question of right and wrong- Not only in terms of the artist’s subject matter, but also regarding society’s view of street art as either right or wrong, legitimate or illegitimate.
Returning to black and white as being synonymous with simplicity and purity, the lack of color often causes us to pay more attention to other elements of the piece. Similar to how form took on an increased importance in the work of van Balen, the play between black and white in Ingrid Simmons's piece demonstrates how the use of these shades causes us to draw our attention to the element of form in nature. With the landscape devoid of color, there is now a simplicity and candor present in the way the tree's branches boldly contrast the blanched sky as the black banks separate to make way for the trickling stream.
Clearly, the use of black and white as the theme of this exhibition symbolizes a variety of concepts. Whether representative of the restrictions placed on an artist's creative process, a symbol of simplicity and elegance, or instead a window into the past when the world was viewed through a black and white television screen, In Black & White allows the viewer to ponder the complexity that is black and white.
Text by Sarah Hucal, B.A. University of Michigan, Freelance Travel, Arts & Culture Writer, NYC
Two Window Project
Torstrasse 154, D-10115 Berlin
www.twowindowproject.com
Torstrasse 154, D-10115 Berlin
www.twowindowproject.com
