ANTONE KÖNST

Each Modern is pleased to announce Antone Könst’s second solo exhibition in Taiwan, entitled “Sirens.” In 2020, Könst held a solo exhibition at Each Modern called “Casual Magic,” wherein the art converted ordinary life into mythical fantasies. However, soon after, the tranquility of life was disturbed by the pandemic, and the world was besieged with war and drastic changes. The artist also experienced major life events, such as catching COVID-19 and becoming a father. Könst condensed these events into the current exhibition, using his unique language of painting to respond to the current world, a world through which both turmoil and sorrow spread, but also one filled with fun and hope, reflecting people’s oscillation between the two.

“This body of work is like a love song sung by sirens...The siren’s song oscillates between the promise of a cool peace and the threatening heat of our times, and there is a beauty in both, in the dancing and the dying. My work is about that teetering in-between, about the belief which separates falling from flying.” - Antone Könst

In the large-scale works Flute Player (2022) and Woodwind in the Park (2022), we are shown two naked flute players. They appear to be charming snakes, and these paintings generate interesting dialogue when in juxtaposition with the floral paintings Hibiscus Flowers (2022) and Dogwood (2022). In Hibiscus Flowers, the namesake flowers bloom gorgeously, but in Dogwood, white flowers gradually wither. In Flute Player, naked, innocent women are portrayed singing along with many other creatures, while in Woodwind in the Park, the person reminds the viewer the primitivity, roughness, and eros of Satyr. But for Könst, these two situations cannot be compared. Both exist in the world and share in the wonder and depression. Mourning Dove (2022) further integrates this concept into a gigantic mourning dove. It raises its wings, the feathers sharp as knives, as if about to soar into the air—yet its angle of incline suggests that it is about to fall. Meanwhile, Dove (Falling Away) (2022) portrays a falling white dove, and Map from Memory (red) (2022) presents a world map being burnt red by fire. Porcelain Peace (2022) reflects the beautiful yet fragile nature of peace. Beneath Könst’s brushes, people’s common hopes are shown to be easy to understand, yet complex and difficult to achieve.

Six small-scale paintings on paper look like sketches of people the artist encountered in life. They are both funny and absurd. The viewer wants to ask where they are from and what makes them so different. At ease, pleasant, angry, remorseful—in Könst’s paintings, each emotion chants its own song, leading people to follow their rhythms and frequencies. Be it the darkness in Druid (tree) (2022), the surprise in Chlo-e (2022), or the comfort in Birdwatcher (2022), the natural inaction of one facing all beauty and ugliness, and good and evil, is provided equal interpretation. This is the middle path Könst emphasizes in his exhibition. Finally, Sunbather with Baby (2022) depicts the artist recently becoming a father. The infant, portrayed without color, is held by a loving, peaceful father. The blue sea no longer has any traces of sirens, and yet the world still resounds with beautiful songs.