From 19 September to 11 October 2020, works by four artists from the Berlin Galerie Kornfeld will be on display in a special building in Potsdam: in the eastern plant hall of the Orangery Palace in Sanssouci. The works of art, which are dedicated without exception to the depiction of the diversity of nature, are thus presented in a place that was built to protect a more sensitive nature and is now being brought to life with a new “art nature”.
The confrontation with nature – both man-made and wild, existing independently of man – is an essential motivation for the four artists Franziska Klotz (painting), Hubertus Hamm (photographic art), Oliver Westerbarkey (conceptual art) and Christopher Lehmpfuhl (plein air painting). As attentive and sensitive observers of our time, they want to initiate discussions with their works and question the status quo.
The presentation is part of the research project “Historical Gardens and Society. Culture – Nature – Responsibility”, initiated by the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg, which is funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) and is being run in cooperation with the Institut für transformative Nachhaltigkeitsforschung, IASS, Potsdam (IASS).
Franziska Klotz combines her own observations and sensations with motifs taken from the flood of images in our media world. From these diverse impressions she distils contemporary historical pictures. Nature appears in them as a metaphor of humanity itself, suffering and creating suffering, creative and destructive at the same time.
Hubertus Hamm intensively deals with our experience of space. Through folds, cuts or the superimposition of several pictures, three-dimensional picture objects are created which engage the viewer in a dialogue and show that the image we make of nature is clearly different from the real thing.
Oliver Westerbarkey creates dioramas from natural materials. Only a second glance reveals how much the artist shapes and changes the objects he has taken from nature. His artistic approach is characterised by questioning and ambiguity and encourages us to think about terms like ‘nature’ and ‘natural’ or ‘art’ and ‘artificial’.
Christopher Lehmpfuhl finally seeks the physical confrontation with nature. In wind and weather or bright sunshine he goes outside with his canvases to capture his motifs on canvas. Through his hands an overall impression of colours, moments of light, light moods, sounds, smells and feelings is transformed into painting.
WHERE? Orangerieschloss, An der Orangerie 3-5, 14469 Potsdam
Opening: Saturday, 19. September, 10:00 am – 5.30 pm
WHEN? Saturday, 19. September – Sunday, 11. October 2020, Tue-Sun 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
COSTS? Admission free
