DUSSELDORF.- The Kunst環al璴e is show璱ng the first in璼ti璽u璽io璶al ex環i璪i璽i璷n outside the United Sta璽es of the Ame璻i璫an pain璽er Chris Mar璽in (born 1954, Wa璼hing璽on D.C.). Mar璽in has re璯u璴ar璴y paid his re璼pects to che璻is環ed ar璽ist col璴e璦gues from the fields of pain璽ing and mu璼ic sin璫e the mid 1990s: Pop gre璦ts as well as tho璼e who work at or bey璷nd the bo璾n璬a璻ies of the zeit璯eist. In so璵e ca璼es, li璳e Micha璭l Jack璼on, Ja璵es Brown or Frank Moo璻e, who con璫ei璿ed the red Aids rib璪on, the pic璽u璻es we璻e promp璽ed by their de璦ths. Such de璬i璫a璽i璷ns pla璫ed Mar璽in’s ex璸an璼i璿e com璸o璼i璽i璷ns on the fo璾n璬a璽i璷n of a so璫i璦l frame of re璮e璻ence, are ge璼tu璻es of re璿er璭nce and so璴i璬a璻i璽y.
At the sa璵e ti璵e, they break wi璽h the pu璻i璽y re璹ui璻e璵ents of co璴our field pain璽ing and mo璶o璫hro璵e pain璽ing. The na璵es stand awk瓀ard璴y and co璦r璼e璴y in the pic璽u璻e space im璵e璬ia璽e璴y ad璲a璫ent to pas璽ed on co璱ns, LPs, bana璶a peels and news璸a璸er ar璽i璫les. De璼璸i璽e the cru璬e, tho璻ough璴y mun璬a璶e pic璽u璻e sur璮aces, Mar璽in’s work has drawn for over 30 ye璦rs on va璻ious tra璬i璽i璷ns of spi璻i璽u璦l ab璼trac璽ion, for which New York, whe璻e Mar璽in has be璭n li璿ing sin璫e 1975, was the melting pot.
The ex環i璪i璽i璷n cu璻a璽ed by Elo璬ie Evers and Gre璯or Jan璼on con璫en璽ra璽es par璽i璫u璴ar璴y on the ear璴y works that ha璿e ne璿er be璮o璻e be璭n shown in such a com璸re環en璼i璿e form. They in璫lu璬e the mo璶o璫hro璵e “Black Pain璽ings” in which the il璴u璼i璷n of space is sug璯ested wi璽h on璴y a few whi璽e li璶es. “He璻e” can be se璭n as a key work in this group. A geo璵e璽ri璫al cu璪e in drawn on the cent璻e of a 12-squa璻e met璻e lar璯e black ground that rests on a ho璻i瓃on li璶e that leads the view璭r’s glan璫e off in璽o the depths as if through a win璬ow.
Par璦l璴el to the璼e lar璯e-for璵at pain璽ings in which Mar璽in al璼o in璽e璯ra璽ed his art the璻a璸eu璽ic work wi璽h HIV-in璮ec璽ed pa璽i璭nts, the pain璽er pro璬u璫ed small-for璵at co璴ou璻ed can璿a璼es. In them he draws on Chris璽i璦n mys璽i璫ism and an璽hro璸o璼o璸hi璫al sym璪ols as well as the “spi璻i璽u璦l land璼capes” of the North Ame璻i璫an ro璵an璽i璫ism that is litt璴e known in Eu璻o璸e. The pain璽ings are cha璻ac璽e璻i璼ed by en璭r璯y, in璽en璼i璽y and pro璮un璬i璽y. The pain璽ing “Sta璻ing in璽o the Sun” ma璬e for D黶璼el璬orf that con璼ists of three pa璶els, de璸icts a sta璪le and power璮ul com璸o璼i璽i璷n that stret璫hes from the wall to the floor. It is an exag璯e璻a璽ed light re璮lec璽ion in shim璵e璻ing yel璴ow and red璬ish oran璯e hu璭s that re璿eals Mar璽in’s en璽hu璼i璦sm for si瓃e and pro璸or璽i璷ns as re璴a璽ed to the hu璵an bo璬y, cap璽i璿at璱ng the view璭r through its sculp璽u璻al im璸res璼i璷n.
Mar璽in com璸re環ends his pain璽ings as ob璲ects wi璽h a li璮e of their own that do not re璹ui璻e the pro璽ec璽ion of the Whi璽e Cu璪e’s holy spaces. His works hang on buil璬ing fa璫a璬es or in trees. The Kunst環al璴e ex環i璪i璽i璷n al璼o ex璽ends to the out璬oors, de璵ons璽ra璽ing of all pla璫es in the sanc璽ua璻y of mo璬ern ab璼trac璽ion – the aest環e璽ic of the sub璴i璵e – how va璴id the Pop Art le璯a璫y, the fu璼i璷n of high and low cul璽u璻e and the tri璿ia璴iza璽璱璷n of the pic璽u璻e can be.
The first com璸re環en璼i璿e ex環i璪i璽i璷n ca璽a璴o璯ue, fea璽uring nu璵e璻ous co璴our il璴us璽ra璽i璷ns, es璼ays by Gre璯or Jan璼en, Alex璦n璬er Koch, Bob Nick璦s, Lars Bang Lar璼en, and a con璿er璼a璽i璷n wi璽h Chris Mar璽in and Elo璬ie Evers, will be pu璪lis環ed by Ver璴ag der Buch環and璴ung Walt環er K霏nig.
