Jochen Klein
Tabletop 2, 2007
SOLD OUT
EDITION SIZE: 25 (signed and numbered certificate of authenticity)
FINISHING: 12 colour Giclée print archival pigment ink on acid free lightfast Hahnemühle German fine art pearl, 285 gsm
DIMENSIONS: 50 x 40cm
Jochen Klein’s Tabletop photographs feature everyday materials in arrangements which, from a distance, appear to be epic views of idealised landscapes. By playing with our perceptions, he questions our expectations of the natural world and our experiences of landscape.
Artist’s statement:
Within my practice I am engaged with the perception of places and the possibility of an authentic relationship with nature. Landscape in represented forms often replaces a direct contact with nature and stands in as a substitute or second hand experience; within the pictorial space of the image, elements of control – composition, harmony, balance – can be established, which in reality might be questioned as illusionary. However, the natural landscape still offers and holds a relief for the senses, or even transcendental possibilities. My work is located in this controversial terrain, allowing space for questions, as well as for contemplation.
Drawing inspiration from painting and drawing of the 19th century, to 20th century photography, I am tracing romantic elements in landscape imagery and use them as a starting point for my personal approach to picture making. I am interested in the symbolical language and metaphorical questions and contradictions within the genre and want to rethink and test them against the backdrop of contemporary art practice.
The photographs are constructed in the studio and made up from everyday materials. Photography – as an accurate reproductive medium – allows me to depict materials in a naturalistic manner, while simultaneously I am able to create an illusion. Using techniques of Bricolage, I try to transform and question the meaning of these everyday materials, allocating them a new function outside their usual context. In my role as Bricoleur, I am exploring the position of the artist in modern society; my practice is a reflection on the status of the artwork and the process of art production. Art, says Claude Lévi Strauss ´ lies half-way between scientific knowledge and mythical or magical thought`. Embracing this notion, I am hoping to construct a useful and beautiful object, which is also an object of knowledge.
Proceeds raised supported Myaware and the Vital Arts Programme.
Jochen Klein was born 1974 in Stuttgart, Germany and studied for his MA Photography, London College of Communication (LCC) University of the Arts London 2007 and Akademie für Photographie (APH), Hamburg, Germany 1998. Selected exhibitions include “Right here, Right now, Exposures from the Public Realm” in the International Photography Festival in Derby; The Triumph of Failure at the Noam Gallery in Seoul; “Bridging the Gap” at Hatch Space, London 2007.
In this series
