FLEISCHESLUST
05 June - 11 July 2009
Opening: Thursday, 04. June 2009, 7 pm
Bongout Gallery
Torstrasse 110
10119 Berlin
Germany
Opening hours: Tu - Sa: 12 - 7pm
+49 (0)30 280 93 758
Organs, entrails and genitals leading a life of their own, heaps of flesh interacting with creatures with mask-like faces, fleshy and wrinkled skin and open wounds, which, despite bearing human traits, look as though they had escaped from our worst nightmares. Shining strings of pearls are flowing from a deer's open neck, as though the animal's bowels were spilling onto the floor, intertwining and forming mysteriously glittering shapes.
Despite obvious differences, the works of Gregory Jacobsen (USA) and Myriam Mechita (France) have in common that they turn reality upside down. Bringing the inner life of things to the fore, their near-surrealist stagings make visible that which usually lies hidden.
"Dance of the Retarded Girl Slumped Sideways", "Massive head, foul smelling", "Choked off Clotting Lamp" - Gregory Jacobsen's song titles could just as well apply to his oil paintings, which he executes in the style of the great masters. Whether he makes music, paints or stages performances, the Chicago-based artist creates disquietingly grotesque atmospheres, which are partly owed to his creatures' facial expressions: they look happy and satisfied, and not in the least affected by their physical impediments or state of decay.
Myriam Mechita has scattered body parts and cut-off heads of animals throughout the exhibition space. These physical remains are clad in polished surfaces, a coat of shining lacquer, and glass beads. The contrast between the mutilated body parts and the glistening materials creates an almost unbearable tension. The mirrors and the glass reflect the light and the surrounding space, producing distorted perspectives that challenge the viewer?s perception. Mechita's sculptural elements seem caught in the moment - before everything starts flowing again.
myriam mechita: le chant des héros [2006]
gregory jacobsen: sweat stained fancy heap for first rate ladies [2005]
