Keine Tränen für die Kreaturen der Nacht

About

The works of the new series „No Tears For The Creatures of The Night“ by Tanja Selzer are technically striking by their intense contrasts. Apart from those images kept in black and white, the colors applied emphasize the violet optical spectrum. Even so do these colored areas not appear monochrome, but astound by a variety of nuances the artist creates through gradients of the oil colors. The series‘ title, an homage to the song of the old-school Wave band „Tuxedomoon“, points at its contents: A continuous motif are predators, posing a threat to humans, while being endangered themselves. Consequently these animals are equally shown harmful and vulnerable. Lured by the optical charm and luminance of the works, the spectator will be suddenly confronted with thematic possibilities which evoke - only slightly more indirectly than the first attraction - immense doubt and urge to new interpretations. For example what illuminates the „Stier“ („bull“) so gorgeously are his burning horns; so his threatening dynamic expression not only testifies his aggression but also his agony. Similarly bivalent are also the depictings of humans, whose expression and environment shine just as appealingly as they contain dramatic connotations. Thus do the glaring complements of light and shade in Tanja Selzer‘s works correlate with their relation of ease of access and profound semantics.