SETAREH X is pleased to present GENIUS LOCI IX - STRIKES BACK. The annual exhibition series with young emerging artists will be held for the first time at SETAREH X, Hohe Straße 53, Düsseldorf. While in recent years graduate exhibitions have also been shown in several museums, SETAREH is now showcasing the 9th edition of the group exhibition. In the second year of the pandemic, GENIUS LOCI, the spirit of the place, deliberately refers to Düsseldorf as an outstanding art location and focuses on exceptional talents from the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. The participating artists: Steffen Jopp, Emma Løkke, Moritz Riesenbeck, Emil Walde and Theresa Weber exhibit latest works, which on the one hand stand for themselves and on the other hand reveal both formal and thematic cross-connections among each other.
Under the playfully ambiguous exhibition title STRIKES BACK, five young, remarkable positions are presented, which are able to react to current societal issues and at the same time consciously refer to art history. In the exhibited works, something seems to strike back and confront the viewers!
This year's show includes Steffen Jopp's exceptional sharp-edged metal sculptures and fortified mirror shields. Emma Løkke's processual, partly translucent monotypes made of various textiles, free abstract imagery appears as a reference to informal painting, but experiencing a materiality and composition of its own. Moritz Riesenbecks' disused tube-boat-like vacuum rescue mattress (from former Bundeswehr stocks) opens ambiguous references to body bags, sea rescues and, due to its high hanging, to sacred stagings. Emil Walde's technoid objects (converted tank and terrariums with old World War II prostheses), consist of found objects and eBay acquisitions, accommodate an understanding of 'Neo Povera' in which consumption and abundance, but alsothe problematic history of Europe, become reflectable in a critical way. Last but not least, the very corporeal silicone reliefs with inlays such as fake nails and glass beads by Theresa Weber assert themselves, among other aspects referencing heredity, feminism, and empowerment.
These sculptural, pictorial, corporeal and spatial works are about protection function, threat staging, reappraisal, and awareness—themes of a generation that is self-confident yet insecure, provocative yet in need of protection, open yet also, in turn, closed. GENIUS LOCI strikes back!
Press release courtesy SETAREH X.
Hohe Straße 53
Düsseldorf, 40213
Germany
https://www.setareh.com
+49 211 868 17272
Tues - Fri, 10 am - 6 pm
Sat: 10 - 5 pm
And by appointment