Shifting Space: Annett Zinsmeister & Hans Kotter

About

From 19 May until 27 June, Shifting Space presents an immersive platform through which the visitor can journey through intersections of real and virtual spaces with artworks that reflect an examination of space and light.

Spatial parameters are put into motion through an immersive installation by Zinsmeister and refractive light sculptures by Kotter. Through each artist’s respective medium, humanity’s relationship with space and the limits of human perception are put into question.

Zinsmeister’s installation art explores and analyses space on an architectural, artistic and theoretical level to develop new spatial contexts. Influenced by ‘Plattenbau’ - a contradictory ‘utopian’ form of architecture from post-war Germany, with a monotonous modular system that focused on efficiency rather than variety - Zinsmeister explores how modular form can be reconstructed to present a new field of space.

 By taking over the entire top floor of the gallery, Zinsmeister will bring her theoretical research and artistic concepts to life through an experiential installation. Through a ‘re-programming’ of space, Zinsmeister’s installation will also present a spatial intervention to reveal new perspectives on existing potentials and critical questions about the individual’s relationship with architecture and space.

‘Nearby all my work is about human perception and its limits. My pieces mostly deal with different ways of perception, that is a natural ability but also a conditioned human habit. Especially my installations serve as machines of perception, because they have a strong impact on our way of seeing and understanding space. They reveal unexpected intersections and parallels, in the perception, depiction, and experience of space.’ – Annett Zinsmeister

Similarly, Kotter’s colourful three-dimensional objects that combine mirrors and lights redefine spatial context. With work that aesthetically relates to the innovations of Op Art, Kotter’s work explores how light and technology can challenge human perception. Tunnel formations develop upon concepts of ‘tunnel vision’, a term that generally denotes narrow minded perception is here turned on its head; the tunnels are opened up, extended and illuminated to display an infinity of different dimensions.

‘There is no other element with such a lasting impact on life on our planet as light. Light fascinates me in a huge variety of ways and I have investigated the medium of light, with its composition, physical contexts, colours, perception and cultural history for many years.’ – Hans Kotter

By exploring the shifting paradigm of space and the kaleidoscopic potential of perception, Zinsmeister and Kotter prompt multiple questions spanning ontological, scientific and artistic disciplines: What are the limits and possibilities of our visual apparatus? How does the human body relate to its surroundings through space and light? What roles do space and light play in our search for identity, utopian ideas and social interaction?

             Zinsmeister’s theoretical research has been published across numerous publications and has played a central role in her conceptual art practice. Her work has been shown in international solo and group exhibitions, it is part of public and private collections including MoMA, New York, and Karl Ernst Osthaus, Museum Hagen, Germany.

Kotter has exhibited since the early 1990s throughout Europe and the United States and his works are included in both public and private collections worldwide, including the Kinetica Museum, London and the Kunstmuseum Celle, Germany.

JD Malat Gallery specialises in contemporary art and champions a broad spectrum of emerging and international contemporary artists. The programme consists of an array of exciting artists supported by year-round exhibitions and contemporary art fairs.

JD Malat Gallery will present its first virtual exhibition opening online on the 19th of May. An exclusive Q&A and discussion with the artists will be available across our social media platforms, with an Instagram and Facebook live.

Instagram: @jdmalatgallery

Facebook: JD Malat Gallery