Jenny Brosinski, Filip Vervaet, Maen Florin 'On My Way': PLUS-ONE GALLERY , (NEW SOUTH)
PLUS-ONE Gallery presents ‘On My Way’, the opening exhibition of the season 2019-2020, representing works of Maen Florin (BE), Filip Vervaet (BE) and Jenny Brosinski (GER). The exhibition collects recent works of these three artists and places them in mutual dialogue.
‘On my way’, ‘onderweg’ in Dutch, implies both a trip to a specific location as well as the start of a personal journey or goal. This is also the context in which the exhibition should be interpreted: a collaboration between the gallery and artists who are on their way. Each from their own individuality, but always with a common goal in mind.
The idea of being ‘on the way’ can also be found in literature, with Jack Kerouac’s award-winning novel “On the Road” as a well-known example. This literary classic is characteristic of Kerouac’s generation: a vivid representation of young people whose main purpose is just being on the road. The destination is not important, the incompleteness of the journey all the more. Being on the road is about discovering new places, encountering new people; always on the go.
In our contemporary smartphone-culture, the English term ‘On my way’ has been reduced to its most minimal form. ‘OMW’, a widely used ‘short’ to inform someone that you are coming, is indicative for today: fast, efficient and stripped to its bare minimum. Perhaps, that is precisely why it might be interesting to pause occasionally in this constant rat race of being ‘on the way’.
In the head sculptures of Maen Florin (Black Beard (2018), Ceramics, 108 cm) one can almost sense the stillness, under the skin through the thick layer of ceramics. Filip Vervaet shifts between different worlds, real or imaginary, and literally leaves a sculptural trace behind (Trace II, (2018), Aluminum, 700 x 120 x 4 cm). The paintings of Jenny Brosinski (Can’t Stop (2019) investigate the thin line between looking and touching. The material presence of the canvases is urgent and begs for a painterly gesture.
