Exhibitions in Galerie Baer

we know the smell but not the taste

Dan Acostioaei_Pierre-Olivier Arnaud_Stefanie Busch_Tobias Köbsch_Paula Muhr_Kasper Akhøj Pedersen_Patrick Ward

This exhibition »we know the smell but not the taste« unifies the positions of seven international artists as belonging to a generation that knows divided Europe more from hearsay than from actual experience, and it makes use of the motive of a »community bulletin board« defying concrete establishment of authorship. As an outgrowth of her own preoccupation with the new history, Stefanie Busch invites her artist friends to exhibit their works concerning the changes in Europe, in particular the breakdown of an entire system. With the distanced relationship this generation has to the political situation of the past, such artistic creations provide direct and indirect testimony in a search for the past and its relics, realities, visions and crimes.

DAN ACOSTIOAEI 1974 born in Iasi, lives in Iasi (ROM)
In his video work »Reconstructionscapes« the artist shows the ruins of investments and building sites in his home city of Iasi, reflecting on the economic and political transition of post-socialist Romania. He showcases the consequences of a society disposing of its own past in its search for a new positioning and rubbing itself raw on the new growth of market capitalism.

PIERRE-OLIVIER ARNAUD 1972 geboren in Lyon, lebt in Lyon (FRA)
Arnaud shows the photo series »Untitled (starstack)« and »Hotel Cosmos« on recycled copy paper. »Untitled (starstack)« is a collection of stars that he found in newspapers, on the Internet and in the public sphere. They are presented as distant black and white lights somewhere between appearing and disappearing. The series »Hotel Cosmos« makes use of the visionary aspects of the concepts »hotel« and »cosmos« and is reminiscent of the kind of utopia that saw its end in the 1990s. Both works mirror the promise that arises from signs and names.

STEFANIE BUSCH 1977 born in Dresden, lives in Dresden
The artist presents backlit and multi-layered transparent collages, silkscreens and a photo series. Her works »Notiz« (Notice), »Stiller« (Dormant) and »Seltsame Materie« (Strange Matter) are based on photos she took during various trips to former Yugoslavia. Artistically speaking, she nears the collapse of an entire modern, visionary society of Europe by dissecting, superimposing and re-orchestrating the motive.

TOBIAS KÖBSCH 1977 born in Dresden, lives in Dresden
In his realistic paintings, Tobias Köbsch shows landscapes testifying of fear, catastrophies and neglect. All works, idyllic at first glance, contain an immanent end-times feeling similar to that of Tarkowskyis »Stalker«. In his reflection, he transforms an alleged deed, allowing belated perception to disappear in sudden action.

PAULA MUHR 1977 born in Subotica (SRB), lives in Berlin
Paula Muhr’s photo series »On Show« exhibits display windows, views of kiosks and entryways that tell of bygone times and showcase the artistic sense of Balkan cities. The Serbian-born artist’s interests are centered on the various matters of course inherent in representations, the aesthetics merged with consumer goods and their creative potential.

KASPER AKHØJ PEDERSEN 1976 born in Kopenhagen (DK), lives in New York (USA)
During his journeys along the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity through former Yugoslavia, Danish artist happened upon the modular system Abstracta created in the 1960’s by a Danish architect for use in displaying consumer goods. In true modern spirit, the system was established in multiple transformations throughout all six regions of the republic. Pedersen sought out and collected interlocking modules from the system throughout his journey and reunited them again in his sculpture »Abstracta«.

PATRICK WARD 1977 born in Sheffield (GB), lives in London (GB)/Ljubljana (SLO)
Patrick Ward’s photo work »Names and Voices« presents a slide projection showing doorbell plaques from various cities throughout Europe. The work began as a topography of the inner and outer worlds of today’s city. Over the course of his research it became clear that a large number of Slavic names appear in the metropolises of Europe. »Names and Voices« can be read as a contribution to the saga of migration.