Ego Twist

About

Christian Blau invited me to his studio to take a look at his new work that was created
during „The Great Pandemic“ - in the lockdown.
The first thing that strikes me is a work that inevitably reminds me of Hanne Darboven.
8/5/7…. A tender, a string of numbers. With Darboven, the 0 is the note D, the 1 is an E, etc. She works with rhythmic lines and overwriting. CB is also a drummer. It is the work „Sign of the times“, a Prince title. „When a rocket ship explodes and everybody still wants to fly, but some say a man ain‘t happy unless a man truly dies. Oh why? Time!

But what are the signs of the times?
Now what happens to me is what happens to every educated spectator: the evocation - the awakening of ideas, the experience through a work of art. However, evocation is also the summons of a defendant before another, higher court. Now I want to know that the artist also understands me because of my experience in front of the picture.

However, his answer is as surprising as it is succinct.
CB: „Nah! Sudoku!!!” He explains: “During the cold winter days in the studio, I kept myself warm with Sudoku. Until it got too stupid.” But CB is smart and knows the codes of art history. And so he also includes the everyday in his artistic work, what experiences such a poetic greatness. CB: “A lot of the content is personal and stems from lockdown culture. Nevertheless, the works can also be read individually by each viewer.”

Another work entitled: „June Moon“ (Juni Mond“).
Many moons on a yellow surface: laughing moons, sad moons, thoughtful moons. A brown moon. PH: „I don‘t associate this with a National Socialist background, that would be too easy for me.“ The artist surprises me again. CB: Yes, it‘s that simple! In my older works, I contemplated, contemplated, contemplated. Formally doing everything right. These works were created quickly and intuitively....I just hate Nazis!“ PH: „Yes, in the spontaneous act of painting, bringing a creative force intuitively to the canvas can sometimes have something liberating.“ Also with these „free“ works, the frames of the pictures are integrated into the painting process. CB: „This eliminates the „elevation“ of the work of art.“ Here, of course, the aura of the work of art is ironized. CB likes to play with this stylistic device. He also admonishes me, because the price tag on the frame, which I‘m just tinkering with, is also the subject of the „work“.

Now to the work „Bon Voyage“
CB: “This is actually our dinner table - my mother yelling angrily, my brother mentally ill. Get out of that tight spot.” PH: „The drums, the music a place of liberation - also the painting. Aren‘t you afraid to reveal too much?“ CB: „No. Many artists probably fear that their work will be too simple and that the whole structure will collapse without strong „word castles“ as a protective shield.”  The “word jungle” of the intellectual artist community is often as thick as it is phallic and exclusionary.
That is alien to him. And that‘s good. Or?

Would the works of a Josef Beuys or a Martin Kippenberger have existed without their own exposure? Hardly likely! CB seems to suspect that too. In a further work, he himself can be seen as an oversized „art figure“ (“Kunstfigur”), surrounded by the bourgeois narrowness of his parents‘ home and the longing for music.The work is overwritten with „If I want to“! („Wenn ich will“) His fine Hamburg style may stand in the way of his unconditional desire.

But sometimes you have to show off your ego (EGO) and ask the others to dance (TWIST). This is then the EGO TWIST. In these days, in which we have fallen back reduced on ourselves (EGO), Blau‘s works are therefore very intimate, but they are also individually readable and conceivable by the viewer. The openness of the work and the communication with the viewer are very important to the artist, because the TWIST is a couple dance.
Do the EGOTWIST, do the EGOTWIST, do the EGOTWIST, yeah, yeah, yeah!!!

By Pit Hüls