AXEL TEICHMANN - KRÄFTEMESSEN
"Digital is better" was the title of the new album by the German rock band Tocotronic from Hamburg in 1995. The title track describes the retreat of a person who avoids immediate social contact with their surroundings and prefers to immerse themselves in the digital realm, that is, the Internet. The musical presentation flips this statement on its head, creating the characteristic complexity of a Tocotronic theme despite the catchy chorus.
Digital elements in the form of pixelated images made up of square dots can also be found in the works of Stuttgart artist Axel Teichmann. In the painting KRÄFTEMESSEN, a pixelated background depicting a rising rocket is visible behind a realistic representation of an animal and a human figure in a white military uniform. The figure appears startled by the rocket and seems to jerkily turn around. The digital influence is thus as real as it is disturbing for the figure. This raises questions about the implications of our digitally and technologically altered world: What does the disappearance of the analog mean? How does digital acceleration affect our life and work processes? What are the risks and dangers of modern technology weighed against its benefits?
The artist, born in 1974, who graduated from the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart in 2004, describes digital representation in an interview as follows: "For me, the coarsely pixelated image world, compared to the finer, plastic, realistic representation, is a kind of dissolution of the image content. This dissolution could be understood as a metaphor; for example, as a general dissolution of simplicities or certainties.
The digital fits into our time and creates a painterly counterpoint to the rest of the image." The pixelation shown becomes even more interesting in Teichmann's sculptures made of Plexiglas. Here, the technical influence on humanity seems even greater, and the figure is presented as a digital pictogram within a transparent body made of countless square Plexiglas cubes. The viewer is captivated by the many reflections and refractions but is also inevitably confronted with the theme of external control by modern technology.
However, the "digital" image elements are just a small part of Teichmann's expressive spectrum. The protagonists, such as astronauts, athletes, or workers, are usually depicted individually and act in an artificially altered space or landscape. While the situations often seem threatening, there is never a sense of hopelessness. The expressions of the figures in Teichmann's meticulously crafted artworks and the contrasting yet harmonious color palette rather emphasize a hopeful and optimistic outcome. Thus, it is a painting that is aware of its long tradition and successfully defends its place in the present – painting is better.
Axel Teichmann has already exhibited his works in numerous exhibitions in Germany, Switzerland, and the USA. In addition to museums and institutions, his works are represented in many private collections.
The exhibition KRÄFTEMESSEN presents current paintings created in acrylic on canvas or acrylic on acrylic glass plates. The newly created sculptures made of thousands of individual cubes are also made of acrylic glass.
To kick off the event, there will be a conversation with Professor Hans-Dieter Huber, Professor of Art Theory and Aesthetics at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart, and the concurrently exhibiting Kiel artist René Schoemakers.