Press Release

Stalke Galleri Presents

Christoph Draeger

voyages apocalyptiques = apocalyptical journeys

Christoph Draeger's series "voyages apocalyptiques" started in 1994 with a 3-month trip through the USA - but unlike the usual tourist, his itinerary is not defined by beautiful sights, but by sites where once a disaster happened. Some of them some 50 years ago, others some 2 years, others only 3 months. However, it is part of his concept to take a picture that doesn't necessarily show the disaster or traces of it, but the site itself today - a site that sometime in the past had been devastated by calamity and therefore was redefined by the media-coverage: all of a sudden, a little town (for ex. Littleton, Colorado) gets the attention of the whole world - only to be forgotten shortly after, replaced by a more actual event. What remains is a ghostly idea of a tragedy that was transported into each one's subconscious by the mass-medias - a vague idea of apocalyptic memories, that may or may not be evoked by the name of the place: Lockerbie, Seveso, Bophal, Three Mile Island, Tschernobyl - names that are forever linked to disaster. But who remembers Agadir, Morocco (earthquake 1960, 20000 die), Johnstown, USA (2209 dead in a flood), or for that matter St. Pierre, Martinique (30'000 dead in a volcanic eruption in 1902)?

By taking a picture of some of these cites today, simply underlining them with their names, Draeger appeals to these memories that are present in each one, superposing the ghostly images of what happened in the past (>the disaster) with a seemingly idyllic photograph of a landscape or a city at the time of his visit. This picture proves not much more than he was there, revealing rarely any traces of the tragic and therefore sensational past. Draeger's images are anti-press pictures, perfectly unspectacular, but all the more intriguing, because they function as a slightly subversive test to the spectator: does he want to see what is to be seen or is he constantly searching something that is not there anymore?

Or else, is it still there, buried in the media-suggested memories of a public subconscious? Is a disaster place forever haunted by its past?
However, Draeger's "innocent," and often beautiful pictures are giving also a comment on the possibilities of the medium (photography) itself, suggesting that there might be much more on the picture than what can actually be seen.

Voyages apocalyptiques is an ongoing project, that eventually only comes to an end with the death of the artist. So far, 36 sites have been visited, in Europe, Asia, and the USA.

Reynold Isto, New York, August 1999

Press Release

Stalke Galleri presents

"New Works" by Anne Kaminsky

Anne Kaminsky’s artistic themes revolve around anonymous girl figures. In her works, a tension arises, both in form and content, through the relationship between figure and space. This tension is particularly present in her later, smaller-format paintings, where she abandons a physiological – plastic construction. The figures or objects in the space are presented in a flat, two-dimensional manner, without any hierarchical relation to the space itself.

Anne Kaminsky’s starting point in her works is an object, which can at times appear highly abstracted. The painted surfaces do not offer any illusionistic depth, but rather create vibrant layers of color without precise indications or anchors. The interplay between figure and space appears on equal footing.

The layers of oil paint emerge in fine gradations, creating a misty yet luminous atmosphere where the figures appear shadow-like.

Anne Kaminsky thus explores not only the physical and psychological representation of figures in space but also, through her paintings, poses questions about the possibility of painting as pure painting.

– Meike Behm / Angelika Nollert, July 1999

Anne Kaminsky was born in 1971 in Nykøbing Sj., Denmark, and was educated under Per Kirkeby from 1993 to 1999 at Städelschule, the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, in Frankfurt am Main.

Press Release

Stalke Galleri presents the exhibition
NEW BRANDINGS

by KRISTIAN HORNSLETH

The title of the exhibition refers to Kristian Hornsleth's exploration of the tension between utilitarianism and social dependency. Specifically, it examines the boundaries of the art lover’s fanatical desperation and euphoric self-contradiction in the pursuit of art's object of desire.

The exhibition includes a series of limited-edition objects such as pistols, watches, knives, and more from exclusive and sought-after manufacturers. All are branded with the typical Hornsleth signature and textual commentaries.

In 1998, Kristian Hornsleth founded the company Hornsleth Branding Corporation, which develops concepts for further commercial exploitation of luxury goods, often challenging the purchasing motives of art collectors.

The project was presented in June at the art fair LISTE99 in Basel.

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Best regards,
Stalke Galleri

Review

At Stalke Gallery, three solo exhibitions are on display featuring painter Anne Kaminsky, conceptual artist Kristian Hornsleth, and Swiss photographer Christoph Draeger.

Anne Kaminsky, a recent graduate of Per Kirkeby’s painting school in Frankfurt, presents a series of new works in oil and watercolor. Her paintings feature anonymous-looking figures in various situations—rowing in a boat, bathing in water, or standing under a shower. Through her simultaneously expressive and light-sensitive brushstrokes, and with water as a recurring motif, Kaminsky achieves a flowing, almost inquisitive sense of space and surface, bordering on the abstract. It is a celebration of painting as a transformative space, a kind of hybrid where figures and objects come together, creating the potential for new narratives to emerge.

Kristian Hornsleth's exhibition is titled New Brandings and is part of his continued investigations and exploitation of the commercial art world. Last year, he founded the concept company Hornsleth Branding Corporation, where he signs or brands various luxury products, such as Rolex watches and Smith & Wesson pistols, with the motto "Fuck you art lovers."

The products, or works if you will, are designed in series of 99, with the first sold at market price, and subsequent pieces increasing in price by 25% for each number. If one cannot afford the real deal, one can purchase a photograph or a crumpled photocopy of the works.

Desperate Desire
The project is a sharp, humorous commentary on the art lover's desperate desire to buy and own an object, while also playing on the idea of the artwork as a ready-made. But where Duchamp's urinal was a subtle critique of the origins of an artwork, Hornsleth's provocation is direct, targeting the commercial circus that threatens to sell out all meaning in contemporary art.

Since 1994, Christoph Draeger has traveled the world photographing locations where, over the past hundred years, various catastrophes have occurred—earthquakes, hurricanes, toxic spills, street riots, and wars. At Stalke, Draeger presents seven photographs from this ongoing project, titled Voyages Apocalyptiques, including locations such as the tunnel where Diana’s car crash occurred, Heysel Stadium where 41 football fans lost their lives, and Los Angeles, where Rodney King was killed by police.

The photographs are taken in a sober yet aesthetically documentary style, with captions indicating the place and time of the photographs. In this way, Draeger emphasizes the tension between the fatal past and the peaceful present, creating a form of remembrance that reminds us of these places and the world's burdened and fragile history.

Jacob Lillemoes

Information 17.8.1999