NEUE ELEMENTE
Solo Exhibition with Jens Lorenzen
A well-timed word can enter the annals of history. But it can just as easily undergo a complete reinterpretation. Jens Lorenzen has elevated the play with connotations, ambiguities, and double meanings of words into a concept in his MAUER cycle, expanding terms into endless texts that evolve across images. At the heart of the exhibition are five consecutive elements or images of Mauer II, which originate from the theme of "Olympia" — thus creating a thematic connection to three elements by Lorenzen that were previously incorporated into the collection of the Musée Olympique in Lausanne/CH.
In wild yet meticulously crafted chains of association, the Berlin artist introduces the complex theme surrounding the Olympic myth, transitioning from the origin of the term to a fashion brand of the same name, making brilliant leaps to Star Wars and heroic sagas, and touching on George Orwell and the concept of "fitness" — ultimately landing on the bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently turned 75 and has also made his mark as an actor and politician.
Jens Lorenzen masterfully transforms individuals, brands, and phenomena from both pop and high culture into new meanings, not shying away from serious topics like "Hanau" — the city that is both the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm and the site of the traumatic attack in 2020. Despite their intellectual weight, the images remain humorous and accessible. This is primarily due to Lorenzen's hedonistic and aesthetic visual language, which resembles a mix of collage and mixed media, but is fundamentally rooted in classical oil painting. In doing so, Jens Lorenzen makes a statement in times of digital image overload, while also attempting to give form to the threatening chaos. For him, the task of art is to aestheticize danger — and happiness. Because both can arrive unexpectedly.
Opening: 09.10.2022, 8:00 PM Laudation: Yorca Schmidt-Junker Exhibition: 09.10. to 08.10.2022
Opening Hours: Wed - Sat 12-6 PM
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50672 Cologne Tel.: +49 (0)221-33779999
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