CHENNAI: The exhibition of works by Rosemarie Trockel organised by the Goethe Institut at Lalit Kala Akademi is an exploration into the unseen realms of imagination that the artist from Germany has travelled to. The paintings, sketches and documentaries are part of the series of monographic exhibitions in the Institut’s programme, which also includes the works of other artistes such as Sigmar Polke, Georg Baselitz and Gerhard Richter.
These exhibits take the onlooker on a journey of concepts, which originated as early as the 80s, and yet are contextual in the scenario of contemporary art and age.
One can see in them a persistent confrontation with either the male-dominated society or the genius of a male artist, as the artist determines her feministic viewpoint.
As one glances at the monochrome pieces of work, one notices an individualistic style that she has tried to evoke, with slight resemblance to the stream of consciousness in literary style, using which she tries to capture random thought processes.
Rosemarie has worked on various mediums such as pencil on paper, coloured crayon on paper, charcoal, acryllic, oil on paper, wall sculpture, black and white photography and collaged computer drawings, among others. Some of the things that stand apart are the knitted pictures, which are hung on the wall, the malmaschine, among others.
The knitted picture, which looks like a minimalist sculpture, becomes a means of assertion of ‘typically feminine’ motifs from everyday life, often forced on women by society.
A malmaschine, which has various paint brushes attached to it, with a sheet underneath, delivers shades of black and grey, once its motor starts, giving way to a new and artistic way of expression. As we explore the sketches done by the artist at one go, one by one, we cannot help but notice a sketch of a man. This sketch has something unusual in it, unlike other conventional sketches. The man’s iris has the image of a beautiful lady, painted to perfection.
Another one is the canvas with four names such as Douglas, Serra, Stella and Kelley, with numbers 60, 51, 68 and 17 inscribed on it, which could probably be their age. The exhibition becomes a platform of a network of associations, which will lead to multiple perspectives and deconstructions of the concept.
The exhibition is on at the Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road, till April 30.