»Vorstellungsgespräche« combines the work of four emerging artists working across painting, sculpture and mixed media installations. The exhibition testifies to the vitality and dynamism of a new generation of artists and the wide scope of references from which they draw. In this exhibition, the work of these four artists finds common ground in the idea of simulacrum.

Susanne Hopmann presents a large sculpture titled »Monstera«, which consists in an aluminum cast of the popular houseplant Monstera Deliciosa. This piece addresses our complex relationship to nature and the repeated attempt at capturing or reproducing its essence via artistic productions. Reminiscent of a science fiction scene, the piece’s exquisite details entice the viewer to pay a close look at the lines and details of the lifeless plant – thus yielding a meticulous consideration.

Juliette Sturlèse’s large paintings oscillate between figuration and abstraction, sitting comfortably between the two. The highly suggestive titles give a clue to the viewer as to what one ought to see and trigger the imaginative impulse of our brain. The patches of colours painted on the surface of the canvas become complex scenes filled with people and emotions. Even in Sturlèse’s more figurative work, her paintings seem to primarily be concerned with capturing the essence of a moment: the colour of the light, the movement of the people, and the sounds of a place.

Sophie Ullrich’s work brings a light-hearted tone to the exhibition. Through the naiveté and simplicity of her brushstroke, Ullrich places a handful of represented objects in relation on the surface place: juxtaposing them, superimposing them, interlacing them. Her witty artistic language is rich in poetic symbols that draw on our embodied memory of the represented objects.

Christian Holze’s multidisciplinary practice adds yet another layer to the exhibition. His digital collages demonstrate how things coexist in two dimensions: irl and online. His polished and glossy images draw heavily from the language of advertising. But rather than selling a brand or a product, Holze seems to obfuscate it, stripping this visual language from the effectiveness of its function to present it bare and disabled.