Lothar Hempel, Ein Lied Für 2 Stimmen, 2018, UV-Print, Aluminium and mixed media, 195 x 80 x 20 cm

Lothar Hempel - Gargoyle
10 February—14 April 2018
Opening: Saturday, 10 February 2018

Lothar Hempel's multifaceted work includes sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, video and performance. He often develops his works from found and sometimes historical pictorial material, as well as from well-known figures of mythology, history, theater, film and pop culture. Original quotes are deliberately reduced to extracts within a collage-like working method. Recontextualized in seemingly surreal contexts, this results in new associations and meanings. Several works are condensed within a stage-like installation, leading to a performative-pictorial narration.

The focus of the exhibition Gargoyle is the sculptural work Ein Lied für 2 Stimmen (English: A Song for 2 Voices). The double figure consists of the silhouette of a young man in a provocative pose, over which lies the torso of the fragile, charismatic Jane Birkin. The wide-open mouth of the boy can be interpreted in various ways: Even if a microphone with a stand is positioned in front of him, he could be yawning, screaming or actually singing. The same applies to Birkin, holding a microphone in her hand. Together, they form an unequal pair, and the tension that exists between the two of them appears to be rather erotically charged. The absence of any sound further reinforces the drama in the room and involves the viewer speculatively in the open question as to what song is actually being sung here by these two voices.

Text: Philipp Fürnkäs

Lothar Hempel, Gargoyle, Installation view, 2018, Italic Berlin

Lothar Hempel, Gargoyle, Installation view, 2018, Italic Berlin

Top: Gargoyle, 2018, Photo paper, 10 x 10 cm
Below: Lothar Hempel, Eyes, 2018, Photo paper, 32 x 32 cm

Lothar Hempel, Gargoyle, Installation view, 2018, Italic Berlin