Inflated Egos, Divine Panties & Saturated Landscapes: Gallery Spree in Cologne
This week, I got three shows for you in Cologne. Painting, sculpture, drawing, you name it.
STEFANIE POPP: POPP´S PALINOPSIA
As I looked up Stefanie (Gen X, German) on Google, I came across a feminist Spirituality platform offering prophetic counseling. It’s not hers (that Stefanie was spelled with a ph), but looking at her art, it wouldn’t have surprised me.
Stefanie paints and sculpts feminine divine beings. Witchcraft symbols adorn these creatures: Frogs, black cats, snakes, snails, a full moon,… sperm… They are colorful, symmetric and trick the eye, just the way the title-reference to seeing afterimages suggests: Hair locks are actually abstract shapes in the distance or two cats; instead of her face, a figure holds up a roaring nosebear; a bikini top is a rolled up snake, …
Speaking of bikini tops: Stefanie’s Goddesses wear swimsuits and panties that are everything but archaic. In Tripudium (Bunny) (2023) a pink bunny with dilated pupils shares a translucent thong with such a blue Goddess. She holds two wooden sticks that turn into snakes. Pause: A wild biblical reference to Moses impressing the Pharao by turning his walking stick into a snake? But in Ghost of Good Intention (Darksnake) (2022), a croissant levitates in the upper right corner…? What is this made-up cult? I didn’t get the memo: So are we going for blood sacrifices or our favorite nail polish?
Stefanie has an affinity for sculpture and textures. For her paintings, she uses rough canvas but shapes the figures through soft highlights. In her cellular concrete sculptures, she goes into depth, imitating the rigid geometry of ancient Egyptian reliefs. Only my Rhineland people are going to get this probably, but in a non-derogatory way, it’s giving the Wuze Town scenography in Phantasialand’s Fantasy section, ifykyk.
Artwise, I feel like Stefanie and Gwenyth Paltrow look-alike Emma Talbot (Gen X, British) are the same font. And I sure have mixed feelings about white artists pulling a Keith Haring (1958-90, American) and using non-Western culture in their own art. But Stefanie did spend some time in India, so I guess it’s gotta be fine then...
Galerie Norbert Arns, until March 29, 2024, Lindenstrasse 19, 50674 Cologne
Marcus Neufanger: Die schönen Tage der Kunst sind gezählt
The show is based on Marcus’ (Baby Boomer, German) personal art library that hoards books of world renowned artists along with those of his friends. He’s been turning these books into his Cover Paintings for over 30 years now, poking fun at how artists put more respect on their name than their work sometimes.
Marcus draws artists of art world celebrity status. Filling the outlines almost cartoonishly, they remind me of Andy Warhol’s (1928-87, American) early drawings. Marcus emphasizes the self-dramatization of these pics and adds a quote by the same artist. He observes the way artists present themselves to the world: As an expert of her craft wearing professional gear the way Katharina Grosse (Baby Boomer, German) does? Casual and nonchalant like Kiki Smith (Baby Boomer, German-American)? Playing his part wearing a mask, just like Takashi Murakami (Baby Boomer, Japanese)?
Sometimes, he separates quotes from the artists, adding a twist: For a 2022 print, Marcus tweaked Joseph Beus’ (1921-1986, German) quote “The mysteries take place at the main station”, replacing main station with Instagram. Cause that’s where artist make a name for themselves these days…
In 2008, Marcus began his Vanity Paintings made up of nothing but an artist’s surname on a canvas. Very much an On Kawara (1933-2014, Japanese) concept move. He is interested in the way that the artist’s name gets its own meaning even when separated from the person. It turns into a concept, a representative of a whole aesthetic movement or era. The art world is often just a one (wo)man show.
Van der Grinten Galerie, until April 13, 2024, Gertrudenstrasse 29, 50667 Cologne
Tessa Perutz: Leo
Well, well, well: If that fleshy pink sun in Sunset at Bordighera Beach (Pastel Tones) (2023) ain’t a Tom Wesselmann (1931-2004, American) boobie… Honestly, I wonder why the show is titled Leo and not Pop.
Tessa’s (Millenial, American) approach is something in between Pop Art and Impressionism. She paints forests and beaches of New York, the seascapes of Marseille, the mountains of Verbier and wherever she has been to, transfering the initial vibe into paint as she’s back in the studio. She strictly separates paint sections from each other like in painting by numbers. Makes me think of Andy’s take with Do It Yourself (Landscape) (1962).
The saturation of the oil paintings dissolves into soft pastel tones in her gouaches. The flowy lines in Soft View, Mid July at Edgartown Pond #1 (Martha’s Vineyard) (2023) seem to go into a toned down Edward Munch (1863-1944, Norwegian) direction.
In another room, smaller iterations on the same forest canopy at dusk that are rather abstract shapes than landscapes. Their color palette reminds me of Etel Adnan (1925-2022, Lebanese-American). The tint of the moon dictates what’s happening around it colorwise. That’s where I feel like the vibes go over first impressions.
Pop; 68, until April 13, 2024, Bismarckstrasse 68, 50672 Cologne
For updates on opening dates and new exhibitions in Cologne, get the Köln Galerien app or keep an eye on their website. I’ll return with more reviews next week :)
Making sure to see as much as I can here before it’s time to return to Venice… stay tuned! Subscribe, like, comment, share, pls! In any case, thank you for reading and being here.
See you soon!!!
Jennifer
The Gen Z Art Critic