Dissection (2012-13)

Technique Book pages, lacquer
Dimensions 21 x 17 cm each / 18 part series
Photos Bernhard Hosa

[...] For the graphic artworks, he used black and white photos from an illustrated book about the 1920s. First, they were splashed with a drop of white paint and then folded. Afterwards, each photo was cut up into regular pieces and re- assembled in a different order. From a distance, most of all the collages created the impression of maps: psychological landscapes. Even if one did not know that the book of photos showed people in psychiatric institutions - no faces could be seen but only hands and fragments of hospital furnishings and institutional clothing - there was an echo of disquiet here, despite the images` cool aesthetics and formal legibility. One reason for it may be that the method of blotching used is reminiscent of the extremely popular Rorschach test, a familiar process of psychological diagnosis. [...]

Ingeborg Erhart

© 2023 Bernhard Hosa