Johanna Bath: Flesh, and the Mirror - Exhibitions

约翰娜·巴斯：肌肤与镜子 Johanna Bath: Flesh, and the Mirror

展览照片 Exhibition view

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个展 Solo Exhibition

展期 Opening

2023.12.15 2023.12.15

策展 Curator

赵蕴资 Zoey Zhao

介绍 PRESS RELEASE

BLANKgallery 上海空间欣然呈现约翰娜·巴斯在亚洲的首次个展，展览将展示17件新作品，延续探索记忆的瞬间性、亲密关系、人类经验以及一系列从她的艺术实践中发展而来的引人入胜的主题。 BLANKgallery is pleased to present Johanna Bath's inaugural solo exhibition in Asia, featuring 17 new works that extend her ongoing series exploring themes of fleeting memories, intimacy, the human experience and a range of captivating subjects that developed from her practice.

本次展览名启发于安吉拉·卡特的同名短篇小说，讲述了一位不知姓名的主人公怀着近乎不切实际的浪漫幻想在东京开始自我发现的旅程。在整个旅程中，她始终专注于自己的想象世界，直到在偶然一次契机忽然看到镜子中反射的自己的身体的一瞬间被镜子中直接而真实的自己所意外唤醒，拉回现实之中。卡特因独特地运用了结构主义的文学语言，将第一人称和第三人称叙事结合，为故事赋予了独特的诗意和反思的品质。这种语言方法让观众在参与作品主体时完全沉浸在叙事中，体验主角旅程的深意。

约翰娜的画作提供了相似的反思体验，通过微妙模糊的绘画技巧让人回想起逝去的记忆。这种方法创造了一种神秘的即时性，吸引观众深入研究个人时刻，与所描绘的故事和画布上的人物建立联系。在约翰娜的作品中，所描绘的人物取自现实生活的观察，但又与有形以及实际参照的个体保持着一定的距离。这些人物始终如一地为画布增光添彩，但本身的存在却又像短暂的访客。他们的出现，如同过客，留下了温暖、忧郁的余韵，以及起伏的形体和身影，在观者的脑海和意识中时隐时现地游移。

自然元素的意象和对身体的亲密部位描绘进一步丰富了这种沉浸式地互动，生动呈现约翰娜所专注创作的拟态，邀请观众反思日常体验中那些不可回避的短暂性。 Named "Flesh, and the Mirror," the exhibition finds its inspiration in Angela Carter's short story. The narrative follows an unnamed protagonist undertaking a self-discovery expedition in Tokyo, filled with expectations of surreal romantic encounters. Throughout her journey, she remains preoccupied with her imagined world, only to confront her true self when she randomly captures her own body reflection in the mirror. Carter's unique application of structuralism in language, combining both first and third-person narratives, imparts a poetic and reflective quality to the story. This linguistic approach allows audiences engaging with the body of work to become fully immersed in the narrative, experiencing the depth of the protagonist's journey.

Johanna's paintings offer a similar reflective experience, employing a subtly blurred painting technique reminiscent of passing memories. This methodology creates an enigmatic immediacy, compelling viewers to delve into personal moments, forging connections with the depicted stories and the characters within the canvas. Within Johanna's artworks, the depicted characters are drawn from real-life observations yet possess a certain detachment from the tangible individual.

Consistently gracing the canvas, these figures evoke the essence of transient visitors. Their fleeting appearances, like passing guests, leave behind a residue of warmth, melancholy, and an undulating form and figure that fluidly drifts in and out of viewers’mind.

The imagery of natural elements and intimate depictions of the physical body further enrich the immersive proposed experience, contribute to the vivid simulation she presents, inviting viewers to reflect on the inevitable transience of everyday experience.

艺术家 ARTIST

约翰娜·巴斯（JOHANNA BATH，1980 年生于德国）。约翰娜曾在德国和国外的群展和个展中展出过她的作品。 Saatchi Arts将她评为“值得关注的人物”，她在 2017 年获得了国际观众的认可。她还曾在《Flux》杂志和其他出版物中得到提及。CAC（当代艺术收藏家）将她选入 2022 年新兴艺术家计划，她将于 2023 年末在威尼斯的 Zuecca Projects 和 2024 年初在伦敦的 The Fores Project 进行驻留。她的作品被德国和多个国家的私人收藏。丹麦、挪威、芬兰、瑞典、瑞士、法国、英国、中国、澳大利亚、新西兰、美国、加拿大和南美等全球各地。约翰娜·巴斯 (Johanna Bath) 在德国哈姆生活和工作。 Johanna Bath (b. 1980 in Warendorf, Germany.) Johanna has exhibited her work in group and solo shows across Germany and abroad. She gainedrecognition from an international audience in 2017, thanks to Saatchi Arts classing her as „One towatch“. She has also received mentions in Flux Magazine, among other publications. The CAC(Contemporary Art Collectors) selected her for the Emerging Artist Programme of 2022 and she islooking forward to a residency with Zuecca Projects in Venice late 2023 and The Fores Project inLondon early 2024. Her works are held in private collections in Germany and several countries around the globe such as Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, France, the UK, China, Australia, New Zealand, The United States, Canada and South America. Johanna Bath lives and works in Hamm, Germany.

约翰娜·巴斯 Johanna Bath