Heike Kabisch
God made me extremely creative (in all that I do)
17 September – 29 November 2014
Chert is pleased to present the third solo exhibition of German artist Heike Kabisch in the gallery space.
Kabisch’s aesthetically ironic figuration of humans takes the physical body as an allegory of our society, using the self to explore mankind’s manners and paradoxes. The introduction of printed images, sound, and videos—in relation to her sculptures and installations—marks a new direction in the artist’s production. With the use of images and sounds taken from Internet sources, the artist folds new media into her discourse, reflecting on the broad effects technology has on society.
The new-age vernacular of Internet culture becomes a sort of inspiration and fascination for the artist and her sculptures. The artist’s interest in web images lies in the juxtaposition of wellness and nature against their online virtuality. Photoshop redesigns of a beautiful night sky, with bright stars and unpolluted air, and videos of a relaxing, idyllic paradise are in stark contrast to the reality of our modern, technological life, where nature and wellness are a wish, achieved only on screen. These videos advertise a pseudo-spiritual ambition, which leaves the artist’s figures alienated in their physical surroundings.
The background images relate to consumer culture, everyday life, the multiplied “poor image,” and superficially ordinary situations—a topic at the core of Kabisch’s research. They directly target the frustration of everyday life, offering a shortcut to an alternative. This “holy promise” is ironically explicated in the sound piece God made me extremely creative (in all that i do), where a bizarre, robotic voice repeatedly utters the same sentences over and over again; these affirmation are supposed to soothe you whilst sleeping, and subconsciously motivate your daily routine. “Routine” also preoccupies the sculpture which accompanies the voice: she rotates over and over on herself, self-reflecting, repeating her own boredom.
God made me extremely creative (in all that i do) comments on the dispersal and accumulation of images, sounds, and information; in digital reality the natural “body” is lost and uncontrolled. Kabisch’s sculptures look for shelter in a pixelate surrogate of calm and relaxation.
Heike Kabisch – God made me extremely creative (in all that I do). from chert on Vimeo.
