11.2. –  20.2.2022

Opening: Friday 11.2.2022, 6-10 PM

Invited by Susanne Ring

Through my work as artistic director of the studio in the Macherei Johannesstift Diakonie from 2013-2018, the artists Ninja Christoph, Faiza Fiaz and Bernd Schaale and their work are very close to me. I was particularly impressed by the idiosyncrasy of their visual language and the inexhaustible continuity of their artistic production.

Ninja Christoph is originally known to me as a draughtswoman. In this exhibition she shows colour-intensive linocuts. The motifs seem to be taken from everyday life, such as “The Leash” or “Man in Cave”. But they can also be inspired by fairy tales or stories or show biographical references.

Faiza Fiaz’s works move in the field of tension between drawing and painting. The principle of sequence and connection is predominant. An impression of pearl necklace-like sequences is created, which always spread out on both sides over the entire picture support. Connections are not only created by the sequence of the individual graphic elements, but also by the treatment of the reverse side of the sheets, which is always present as a “shadow image” for the viewer. A transfer of this principle can be found in more recent textile works, in which the moment of transparency is replaced by that of application.

Bernd Schaale’s world of motifs is very concrete and very direct. His drawings reflect his immediate surroundings and environment, such as the “skeleton” from the hospital room of the Macherei, the emergency ambulance with blue lights or his self-portraits.