19 APRIL — 6 MAY 2023 zB »wir holen uns unsere Zukunft zurück (sagt der Osterhase)«
Can Oral, Andreas Reihse
Periode is happy to present new works by zB, a collective comprised of Can Oral and Andreas Reihse.
The works of zB can be read on many levels, reacting to each other in their significance.
Oral's artworks consist of manipulated photographs found online of people taking selfies. The faces are distorted and blurred, giving the images a painting-like quality similar to some of Gerhard Richter's or Francis Bacon's works. Oral's series of photographic prints are a response to Andreas Reihse's artwork, a paper collage with a serviette depicting a children's book-style drawing of two Easter bunnies, one with a speech bubble saying: "we reclaim our future."
The bubble is taken from the campaign of Projektgruppe Klimaneustart, the driving force of a recent referendum to get climate neutrality in Berlin by 2030, a referendum that was lost to a combination of the concerted actions of right-wing media and politicians addressing older people, as well as the inaction (or laziness) of lots of younger folks to vote.
With selfies, you never really know who's looking at whom. We at ourselves or the internet at us. The persons inhabiting Oral's pieces, are people like us, mutants, slowly becoming internet compatible, when morphed enough, or fluid enough to sashay the digital space with ease.
Oral's photographs also depict a distorted image of our society, reflecting the selfishness and self-obsession of the "generation selfie." The works question the authenticity of the images we create and share on social media, raising concerns about our obsession with self-promotion at the expense of the greater good.
Andreas Reihse's piece shows a more hopeful message of reclaiming our future. The bunnies in the artwork represent a symbol of rebirth and renewal, urging us to take action and create a better tomorrow for us and our planet. This work challenges us to think about our role in creating this world and not to give up hope in the face of adversity.
zB's exhibition »wir holen uns unsere Zukunft zurück (sagt der Osterhase)« is a commentary on our current situation and the challenges we face as a global community. zB urges us to take responsibility and not to hand over our planet to corporate players who already checked into their flights to outer space.
(A. Rahibe)
19 APRIL 6 PM Opening
20 APRIL—6 MAY
Saturday 12—4 PM and by appointment