Galerie Barbara Thumm \ Monthly Spotlight

$Galerie Barbara Thumm \ Monthly Spotlight \ Altar of the Egos (Through a Glass Darkly) – Drawing (2002)$

Jo Baer

Altar of the Egos (Through a Glass Darkly) - Drawing (2002)

Injekt print with colored pencil on paper
29.7 x 21 cm | 11 3/4 x 8 1/4 in

American artist Jo Baer turned away from Minimalism in the 70s to explore the possibility of communicating ideas and stories through painting. In the 80s, she coined the term “radical figuration” to pin down her new artistic style but then refused the association between figuration and narrative. Instead of following a linear storyline, her “constellations” or multi-layered drawings and paintings, tell multiple stories through superimposed and intertwined motifs, symbols, and characters. In her drawing “Altar of the Egos (Through a Glass Darkly)”, she creates a unique timeline where past and present converge, alluding to the passing of time for the female character(s) portrayed. In this work, the artist depicts women in various stages of life, in addition to what seems like framed photographs, reminiscent of times past and its effects on the ego.Additionally, her fascination with Ancient cultures and myths has been constant throughout her career, putting elements from Ancient traditions in dialogue with fragments of contemporary times. In this case, Baer includes the Ancient Egyptian symbol of the “Eye of Horus”, commonly used in offering rituals and linked to healing and protection. Accompanying the symbol, there is a silhouette of a blue peacock, associated with beauty, rebirth, and price, adding yet another layer of meaning to the work.

$Galerie Barbara Thumm \ Monthly Spotlight \ YOUR FUCKING FACE (2024)$

Peter Bonde

YOUR FUCKING FACE (2024)

oil, inkjet on mirror foil
130 x 115 cm

Danish painter Peter Bonde (born in 1958, Copenhagen) blends inspiration from Abstract Expressionism and Conceptual Art with a contemporary approach. His abstract and colorful compositions explore the fragility of memory and vividly evoke the strokes and color palettes of Nordic and other European artists. Bonde experiments and creates works oscillating between painting, sculpture, and installation. He uses ultra-reflective mirror foil instead of blank canvases, paints over the reflective surface with oil with fierce brushstrokes, and intentionally avoids concealing the whole piece, leaving parts of the reflective surface uncovered. In YOUR FUCKING FACE, the pink paint renders a shape that frames the viewer’s faces, so their reflections become part of the work. By doing this, Bonde encourages spectators to reflect—literally and metaphorically—on their surroundings and turn them into active participants in creating meaning. Each of Bonde’s creations is as riveting as they are unique. No work can ever be viewed or photographed in the same way twice. This piece was recently on view at Barbara Thumm Gallery in Peter Bonde’s solo exhibition “It’s Good Enough for Nansy”.

$Galerie Barbara Thumm \ Monthly Spotlight \ Untitled / Prismas (B) (1968 – 2013)$

Estate Teresa Burga

Untitled / Prismas (B) (1968 - 2013)

Set of 5 objects
Painted plywood
Dimensions variable

$Galerie Barbara Thumm \ Monthly Spotlight \ From the Past (2011)$

Simon Cantemir Hausì

From the Past (2011)

Oil on canvas
100x100cm

$Galerie Barbara Thumm \ Monthly Spotlight \ Transmediale Landschaft I (2009 – 2024)$

Mukenge/Schellhammer

Transmediale Landschaft I (2009 - 2024)

60 x 50 x 57 cm and 120 x 25 x 15 cm
Fabric, absorbent cotton, VR Video 3:30 min

Transmediale Landschaft II
120 x 200 cm
Acrylic, spray paint, pigment on canvas

Transmediale Landschaft III
Pictures from Bodensee
Dimensions variable
Photography and AR projection, 4:48 min

In their current series of works, the duo Mukenge/Schellhammer explore visual translation processes between analog and digital spaces and the possibilities of painting as a medium in the post-digital age. In their installation „Transmediale Landschaften“, the three objects overlap virtuality, painting, video, photography, and sculpture. In this case, they generate digital paintings using virtual reality programs and then project them back into analog space using augmented reality or painting directly on canvas. The duo explores the changes, additions, or even omissions that are transferred into the work during said translation process. The result is an interweaving of painterly, digital, and real spaces. The images expand three-dimensionally into the virtual field, imitating the characteristics of digital painting, such as spatial dimension, animation, and movement, in the analog scope. The installation will be on view in the exhibition „Zukunft ist.“ at the KFZ – Kunst für Zukunft in Radolfzell am Bodensee, Germany, from 7 September – 2 October, 2024.