Mitte, Berlin
Hipkiss
Yes, But No
Delmes & Zander[Please scroll down for German version / Für Deutsch bitte scrollen Sie nach unten] In the exhibition Hipkiss: Yes, but No. Delmes and Zander is showing for the first time at the Berlin space a selection of works by the British artist duo Hipkiss including five pieces from their most recent series, “The Towers.” Initiated in early 2015, „The Towers” is a series of graphite drawings on long sheets of paper (approx. 40 x 225 cm) in which the look of the Hipkiss-landscape is taken yet another step further by way of newly explored dynamic processes in creation. The drawings reveal a more abstract yet concentrated visual language in which details are distilled without the distraction of a more complicated, continuous backdrop. By organically working their way from the axis within the circular limits, the magically vertiginous effect of the drawings is accentuated. As is emblematic of Hipkiss, the works feature human-made structures placed against - or within - natural landscapes, intricately intertwined and almost hybrid, whilst at the same time curiously out of place. “The Towers”-landscapes work at both close range and from a distance, individually and collectively as a whole. They have become Hipkiss' primary ongoing project since and mark a more mature phase in their artistic development, where the alter egos used by Hipkiss in the past have naturally shifted from the glammed- up, youthful figures to more abstract and natural forms. Hipkiss have also pointed to the overt political meaning of their most recent work: “Reflecting a year - 2016 - in which it could be said that masculine forces have enjoyed a resurgence of power in the Western world, the many feminine symbols to be found in the drawings coalesce, in our minds, to combat the attempted coup; it is a paean to solidarity and righteous rage.” Alongside “The Towers”, the exhibition will show a selection of smaller works on paper and the seminal “L.I.E.” - series (an acronym for "London In Europe") in which Hipkiss dissect the ambiguity of the British identity within Europe – a prophetical series in view of recent developments in the U.K. Hipkiss are Chris and Alpha Mason (both *1964). They have steadily worked as equal partners on inventing and reinventing their symbolic language together since 1983, with each of their strands of creativity – Alpha in writing and Chris in drawing – culminating in a singular and distinctive visual style. The landscapes they envision abound in intricate details and equivocal organic forms which, in the artists' words, unfold as if by happenstance in a collaborative creative process continuously shaped by an ongoing exchange of ideas and techniques. Wordplay is also recurrent in the work of Hipkiss and an essential formal element in their narrative mode. For many years, Hipkiss have refined their use and understanding of graphite (and graphite over silver ink) on paper as their primary media, but have occasionally also included other materials - such as the metal leaf and tape seen in “The Towers”. The result is an impressive oeuvre that is both meaningful and strikingly beautiful. The work of Hipkiss can be found in the following collections: the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (US-WI), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (NL), The Whitworth (UK), FRAC- Picardie (France), the American Folk Art Museum (New York); and in the private collections of Cindy Sherman, Antoine de Galbert and Arnulf Rainer. Hipkiss has featured in solo shows at Intuit in Chicago; John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan WI), group shows at the Tate Britain, Whitechapel, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, La Maison Rouge, The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art and international art fairs, including Art Basel, Frieze London, Art Forum Berlin and Art Cologne. ***** Hipkiss, das sind Chris und Alpha Mason (beide *1964). Seit 1983 arbeiten sie kontinuierlich an der Weiterentwicklung einer einzigartigen, symbolischen Bildsprache. Die Landschaften in ihren Zeichnungen entfalten sich in einem kreativen kollaborativen Prozess und einem ständigen Austausch von Ideen und Techniken. Wortspiele sind ein essentielles Element der Narration in ihrer Arbeit. Über viele Jahre hat Hipkiss die Verwendung und das Verständnis für Graphit auf Papier als Medium verfeinert. Mit der Ausstellung Hipkiss: Yes, but No. präsentiert Delmes & Zander in ihren Berliner Räumen erstmalig eine Auswahl von Arbeiten des britischen Künstler-Duos, darunter auch fünf Arbeiten aus ihrer aktuellen Serie “The Towers”. Die neuen Bleistiftzeichnungen auf vertikalen Papierbögen im Format 40 x 225 cm, begann Hipkiss 2015. Die Werke zeigen eine abstrakte visuelle Sprache, mit Konzentration auf die Details. Die berauschende Wirkung der Zeichnungen entsteht durch die kreisförmige Anordnung der Details um eine Achse. In den Arbeiten von Hipkiss werden künstliche architektonische und industrielle Elemente mit einer natürlichen Landschaft verflochten. Die Landschaften der “The Towers” funktionieren sowohl in der Nahansicht als auch mit Abstand betrachtet, als Einzelarbeiten und als Serie. Hipkiss verweist auf die offene politische Botschaft ihrer neusten Arbeit: “Reflecting a year - 2016 - in which it could be said that masculine forces have enjoyed a resurgence of power in the Western world, the many feminine symbols to be found in the drawings coalesce, in our minds, to combat the attempted coup; it is a paean to solidarity and righteous rage.” Daneben werden eine Auswahl kleinerer Papierarbeiten und die zukunftsweisende “L.I.E.” Serie (ein Akronym für "London In Europe") gezeigt die bereits 2011 entstand und in der Hipkiss die Ambivalenz der britischen Identität gegenüber Europas untersucht – eine prophetische Serie angesichts der derzeitigen Entwicklungen in Großbritannien. Arbeiten von Hipkiss befinden sich in den Sammlungen des John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Wisconsin; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; The Whitworth, Manchester; FRAC-Picardie, Amiens; American Folk Art Museum in New York und in den Privatsammlungen von Cindy Sherman, Antoine de Galbert und Arnulf Rainer. Soloausstellungen der Künstler zeigten das Intuit, Chicago; John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan WI. Gruppenausstellungen waren in der Tate Britain, London; Whitechapel Gallery, London; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; La Maison Rouge, Paris; Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield zu sehen.