Charly Nijensohn - Nova Paul

About

Berlin-based artist Charly Nijensohn's film The Dead Forest (Storm), 2009, harks back to the idea of the romantic sublime. Based on a performance, where a human figure is placed in a threatening natural environment, Nijensohn creates an audiovisual experience that points to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the environment by global commercial interests. The second film on show, Pink and White Terraces, 2006, is a Technicolour film by Auckland artist Nova Paul. Reflecting on the poetics and politics that make a place, scenes of everyday life are shot in red, green and blue layers creating ghostly auras that hold a colour-coded record of the passage of time. Deriving its title from the historically famous geological forms in New Zealand's North Island, the film process echoes the natural geological phenomenon of layers of strata accruing to create form. This exhibition is part of Art in the Auditorium, a collaborative project organised by the Whitechapel Gallery with institutions from Europe, Asia, South America and the US to provide a showcase for the work of some of the most exciting young artists working with film, video and animation today. Charly Nijensohn was selected by the Fundación PROA, Buenos Aires; Nova Paul by the City Gallery Wellington.