Martin Lorenz
Viewpoints
Two video works
The video artist Martin Lorenz has a remarkable eye for the allegedly ordinary details in life. His films are miraculously close to reality, actually so close, that they seem to be a documentary. And yet, they are based on an elaborate script and realised by actors. The camera remains in continuous close-up on faces allowing the spectator to follow every nuance of mood and creating a striking intimacy.
During the video loop ‘Eicosapentaensäure’ (eicosapentaenic acid) the camera angle is fixed, focusing on a vat that is gradually filled with layers of freshly fished herring. The scene develops a captivating spell undulating between the brutal process of the twitching fish in their final throes and the shimmering, metallic blue of their scales in the soft Mediterranean light. Once the vat is filled and closed with a wooden panel, the recording stops. Eicosapentaenic acid is an extremely healthy omega-3 fatty acid found in abundance in fish oil.
In his work ‘Vor dem Eingang zur Hölle’ (at the entrance to hell), Martin Lorenz projects 56 group photographs, originating from different contexts, that he took from a Google search. In them - like class photos from school - people are lined up in poses, often wearing clothes that enable easy classification into professions or personal interests. Lorenz combines the projection with a citation by Franz Kafka. Between the projection screen, onto which Lorenz attached the citation, and the spectator extends a zone with scattered ash. In order to actually read the citation one has to step into the powdery substance. The text by Franz Kafka leads us to discover our inability to entirely comprehend our neighbour.
Since 2002, Martin Lorenz, born in 1979, has been studying Media Art at Karlsruhe’s State Academy for Design, with Mischa Kuball and Lois Renner, among others. He recently participated in ‘Passage European forum for young artists’ in Mechelen and Brussels. He won the award for young emerging artists, bestowed by the land Baden - Würthemberg in 2005.
Exhibition „Martin Lorenz – Viewpoints“, 20 March until 10 May 2008
Vernissage: 20 March 2008, 6-9pm