SURREAL SURROUNDINGS
The inaugural exhibition of the new König Galerie in Mexico City, on until March 4.
Mexico has played an enormous role in developing Surrealism, serving as a refuge for many European artists fleeing the horrors of war on the old continent. Some of the artists who lived in Mexico were well-known names such as Leonora Carrington or Remedios Varo, Wolfgang Paalen (who formed the group “Dynaton” in the 1940s in the Mexican capital) and even the founder of the surrealist movement himself, André Breton.
In Mexico, Surrealism embodied a vibrant and diverse artistic movement that enriched the range of creative expression in the nation by fusing global inspirations with the country's distinct cultural identity.
Inaugurating its initial venue in Berlin in 2002, the gallery has expanded and opened new locations worldwide. In this new space, König Galerie has come up with a group show that pays tribute to all of the above while displaying works by both emerging and established artists.
Selection of works
Mauricio Villarreal is the youngest artist in this selection. At only 24 years old, the Mexican artist immerses us in a fantasy-like world, with surprising scenes that seem taken from stories by The Brothers Grimm. In Araña Nalgona, playing with purple hues, he represents lugubrious characters who are given extravagant physical features, such as large buttocks or voluptuous lips. Captivating, almost eerie, with fun titles that strip the works of excessive somberness and make us feel closer to them.
Mauricio Villarreal. Araña Nalgona, 2022. Oil on canvas. 130 × 160 cm.
Jeppe Hein is widely known for producing experimental works investigating the convergence of art and architecture while studying the advancements of technical procedures. These pieces amalgamate humor with the simplicity of the colors he uses, playing with forms that create a cohesive dialogue between clean and shocking lines. Works similar to Orange Modified Social Bench #01 are Modified Street Lights and Modified Social Bench, which were exhibited at St. Regis, Canal Grande in Venice.
Jeppe Hein. Orange Modified Social Bench #01, 2021. Powder-coated aluminium. 75 × 185 × 48 cm.
In Kris Martin's productions, we observe the presence of objects he finds, reinterpreting them and leaving space for the audience to find new paths to explore and, thus, new meanings that are always personal and non-transferable. In the piece I can wait we can see a caged rock, a sort of metaphor that could be about the idea of the passage of time and how we sometimes find ourselves unable to move, resigning to the ability to progress.
Kris Martin. I can wait, 2021. Stainless steel, rock. 30 × 47 × 37 cm.
The late Karl Horst Hödicke (1938-2024) is known for his Neo-expressionist works. His paintings usually allude to urban life (especially Berlin’s cityscape) and the transformations driven by new technologies. Around 1957, after moving to Berlin, the artist became part of a group that rebelled against the global shift towards abstraction by reviving figurative painting. This piece, neben der Waschmaschine, situates us next to a washing machine, facing the tiles floor. The scene is represented with different purple hues and a hint of red, black, and a greenish color that give dimension to the setting.
Karl Horst Hödicke. neben der Waschmaschine, 2002. Polyester resin on canvas. 80 × 100 cm.
If there is one thing we know for sure about the eye-catching sculptures by Zsófia Keresztes, they never go unnoticed. They are impossible to miss. These works carry the duality of appearing both solid and lightweight, roughened and delicate. With often sinuous shapes, her pieces relocate us into a new sphere, where the blue, pink, yellow, green and pastel red turn into the ruling colors, almost as if those were the only ones to ever exist.
We saw her work at the 2022 Venice Biennale and fell in love with her as the crowned Hungary as one of the best pavilions.
Zsófia Keresztes. Soft Alliance III., 2022. Steel, styrofoam, glass mosaic, grout, fiberglass, construction adhesive, spirit level. 35.7 × 66 × 23 cm.
With this exhibition, König Galerie wants to honor the legacy of the surrealist movement within Mexico and how the history of this country also contributed to its subsequent development.
