DC Open: What to see in Cologne (Part 1)
No, not the Comics, duh! DC Open unites galleries from Cologne and Düsseldorf to bring out their best exhibits during the first three days of September. Lemme show you around.
We outside: Cologne city center
DC Open has started its 15th edition this year. And every gallerist in town is stepping up their game. With over 50 galleries, 20 institutions, and 16 off-spaces participating, we have to go by neighborhood.
Lorenzo Pompa: A Twitter at the Palisades
It’s giving queer desert: rainbow-striped cactuses with goggly eyes, meaty insides, striking clubs and stone swings hanging out in outer space or in undefined landscapes. Lorenzo (Baby Boomer, German) brings out both paintings and sculptures. It remains unclear whether these creatures are defending themselves or attacking with the tools at hand, although the fleshy red cuts make violence certain.
Van der Grinten Galerie, until November 4, 2023, Gertrudenstr. 29, 50667 Cologne
KAYA: KAYAHÖLLEKÖLLE
Kerstin Brätsch (Gen X, German) and Debo Eilers (Gen X, American) turn JUBG into a psychedelic, post-apocalyptic safety bunker. Picture this: Dwight initiates Ryan into the beet business by entrancing him. Dressed as a brown bear, he then proceeds to dunk a fluorescent glowing stick into dog food bowls to paint the body of Ryan lying on the floor. Angela, dressed up as a nurse with a clipboard and high-heeled leather boots is taking notes. This might be Michael’s fever dream after the grilled-foot incident, but it also might be a performance surrounded by kaleidoscopic wall designs on drugs.
JUBG, until September 30, 2023, Albertusstr. 13–17, 50667, Cologne
Alex Wissel: Andropause
Our man Alex (Millennial, German) has to pay the beloved Rundfunkbeitrag (the German broadcasting fee) and he is not amused. He draws his opinion on the payment reminder: A pile of sausages – the German idiom for idgaf. The entire exhibit is made up of random documents and the bureaucratic crap necessary to work in the cultural field: contracts, fees, money transfers. To hide from the responsibilities of adulthood (he’s so real for that), Alex raises a fortress of art logistics packaging, attaching the documents on the walls with his doodly commentary.
Galerie Nagel Draxler, until October 27, Elisenstr. 4-6, 50667 Cologne.
Claire Morgan: I only dared to touch you once I knew you were dead
Claire’s (Millennial, Northern Irish) work is what comes about if Paula Rego (1935-2022, British-Portuguese) and Joseph Beuys (1921-1986, German) had a child: Naked women in dark interiors wrestle, cuddle, and nap with fox fur. The contorted poses of these women are very similar to Paula's Abortion series from the 90s, while the foxes are giving Joseph’s New York performance “I Like America and America Likes me” (1974) where he locks himself in a room with a coyote to … end racism … don’t ask me, same. Claire’s paintings and installations make you think about intimacy and elusion: The shadows look different from what is actually going on: And how can you be gentle with what is dead? Btw, the gallery hosts a talk with Claire on October 27 in case you’re around. Yet, unfortunately, we will never find out what the fox does say.
Galerie Karsten Greve, until October 28, 2023, Drususgasse 1-5, 50667 Cologne
To get an overview of all venues and shows, visit the website of DC Open 2023.
Thank you for reading this review! I hope you’re up for some gallery hopping - This was only part 1! If you enjoyed reading, please let me know by writing a comment, liking this post, or sharing it with a friend.
See you soon!!!
Jennifer
The Gen Z Art Critic