inter deum et diabolum semper musica est - Susanne Giring, Heike Kabisch und Niels Sievers
29.04.2011 bis 14.06.2011 / Minken & Palme / Köpenicker Straße 159 • Berlin
Vernissage 28.04.2017, 19-12 Uhr
Fine artists and musicians have mutually inspired each other throughout history. Artists have been influenced by musical images during their creative processes and musicians driven towards important compositions while viewing artworks. Apart from this, there are numerous examples of artists living out their creativity in both genres.
Even the first cave paintings depict people making music. Music and art were simultaneously applied for cultic purposes. In particular eras, both manifestations of human creativity were connected with the dissolution of boundaries and an orgiastic way of life. The artists selected for the exhibition have a close relationship to music at different levels. For Niels Sievers, it remained for a long period of time unclear if he would follow the path of a professional musician or of a fine artist. Susanne Giring spins occasionally as a DJane and Heike Kabisch allows herself to be inspired by listening to selected records. At a material level, the works are in part clearly associated with the topic of music. On the painted record sleeves of Susanne Giring, the cover motifs blend into her own artistic interventions. Nils Sievers uses records and CD cases as his painting surface. Subjects such as loudspeaker boxes, mixing consoles and views of concerts as well as portraits of musicians are transformed by both artists into paintings, and titles with direct connections to the theme (e.g., “Boys don’t Cry”, “Sakamoto”) are to be found. In the work of Heike Kabisch are figures that appear to be frozen in the middle of a dance move or, alternatively, seem to be deeply sunken into the listening of a (spherical?) music.
The deciding point for the selection was, however, that the works of the three artists contain a musical quality in and of themselves and independent of their subjects and titles. Susanne Giring, Heike Kabisch and Niels Sieverts work figuratively, although beyond the motifs there also exists an invisible and musical vibrancy throughout their works. Owing to this unclearly defined element behind the depicted images, the observer is inspired to travel into the centre of his or her own—often contradictory—emotions.
* music always lies between God and the devil
