HARMONY KORINE

About the exhibition

Within Korine’s creative output—from paintings to films and photography—the notion of a singularitybetween forms begins to emerge. As such, ‘every medium gets expanded and de-specified: a film canturn into a painting, a painting can become a film,’ as remarked by Isabelle Graw, German art historian,educator and publisher of the journal Texte zur Kunst, in a conversation with the artist. Wanting to gobeyond normal photography-based film, the infrared images capture a world consisting of colours andenergy. Translated onto canvas with oils, the resulting paintings capture both a stylised world and anessence, a feeling, as in STILTS ZOON X2 (2023). As relayed to Graw, Korine said, ‘I wanted to makepaintings that feel like they’re basically alive. I wondered if one can make works and imagery that look likenothing has preceded them? This project is almost closer to a futurist take on visuals, painting and film.’

Some paintings, such as Drift XI (2023), focus on close-ups of heads, reflecting the importance of detailsfor the artist. In close to mid-range framing, the infrared camera is able to sensitively detect variationsin thermal energy, heat, which is then transformed into a more detailed image. Harnessing the aestheticpotential of infrared, Korine explains ‘the closer you get, the more heat is pulled from the image and themore alive it looks.’ The resulting paintings evoke a visceral reaction in which viewers can visualize andalmost feel heat from the body, an immersive experience that Korine describes as ‘close to the idea ofbeing inside of a video game’. The technological workings of the camera mean that, within wide shots,lines are softened and the figures’ features are de-emphasized. The further away from objects, the moreimpressionistic the image, producing an unearthly quality. Korine comments that ‘The colors and thegrain structure start to explode the whole idea of lines. They become more about depicting the vibrationof the energy.’

The artist spent time mixing paints to intensify the strength and luminosity of the pigments, seeing how farhe could push paint, the film and the idea of energy. With influences ranging from Martin Kippenberger’splayful paintings to William Eggleston’s vibrant photographs, Korine’s eccentric colour palette of blues,greens, pinks and oranges—dictated by the infrared imagery—not only heightens the sense of livelinessbut also the element of science fiction. REVELATOR MAXIMUS (2023) shows a walking figure, itssurroundings marked by overwhelming monochromatic hues. Variations in shade are important here,from teal to cobalt, forming an unnatural yet ethereal environment. For the artist, ‘the colours are so full oflife [...] At the same time the subject matter and the characters are so grim and dystopian so there’s thisinteresting discourse between the two.’ Compelled to tell a story with his films, Korine’s paintings offer amore immediate encounter with his fantastical world, their subject matter borne from colour and energy.

Press release courtesy Hauser & Wirth