Franz Ackermann – White Cube
I often pay the White Cube a visit whenever I’m in London as there is always a display of exciting contemporary artwork on offer.
On browsing the gallery website to see what was on, the work of Franz Ackermann certainly grabbed my attention with his brightly coloured ‘mental-maps’ and multi-dimensional element to some pieces of the work.
It is difficult when viewing the work in real life to not become completely mesmerised. Described on whitecube.com as ‘all-encompassing,’ the artist’s wall murals utilise 100% of the wall space.
Sat on the floor in the middle of the 9x9x9 room of the White Cube, I felt it impossible to imagine the usual stark white walls of the space. The use of the bright colours and the space itself can perhaps be considered as overwhelming and too busy. What this does, however, is effectively communicate the highly populated urban areas from which Ackermann draws his inspiration for these pieces.
What I found most interesting about the work was its multi-dimensional aspect. Whenever I have used layering within my own work it has still always resulted in a two-dimensional final piece. What Ackermann does, however, is to marry the various layers whilst maintaining a 3D aspect. This adds a great deal of visual and conceptual depth to the artwork which is also heightened by the contrast between the bright colours and black and white images which the artist uses.
The artist’s use of photography and painting in his pieces encourages me to consider the potential of this combination in my own work. I have in the past experimented with painting directly onto photographs as demonstrated in works from my Behind the Veil (2012) series but again these have been two-dimensional. Fellow students have reflected on how I could use this process again to communicate my ideas in my current work.
Looking back at my family photographs and contemplating old memories, I am beginning to consider how painting over images of myself could illustrate the struggle I have with remembering childhood memories. Given the 3D element of Ackermann’s work I think it would be interesting to experiment with a three-dimensional element in my artwork alongside this painted photograph process.
I think it would first be a good idea to get back into the process of just painting on photographs and seeing how this reflects the subject matter before thinking too much into a three dimensional aspect. I am currently still exploring many avenues in terms of the materials I am working with and would for the moment like to focus upon my print and paint work.
