Wolfgang Barland: Exhibition Figure and Emotion
On April 5th, 2024, the einRaum5-7 e.V. invites you to a vernissage at Handelsweg with the same house number. Wolfgang Barlang as the exhibiting artist and Lino Heissenberg as the speaker of the introductory words. I admit that neither of them was known to me beforehand. But I don’t really belong to the art scene in Braunschweig anyway. I see myself merely as an observer and discoverer of a cultural environment. Lay opinion included.
When the art connoisseurs gather
It struck me already at the exhibition “Die Tanzenden” by Heinrich Römisch. There seems to be something like the art chic of Braunschweig. They like to meet for a glass of wine, or even a beer. The exhibited art, well, seems rather incidental. When people like my friend and I, who are genuinely interested in the paintings and sometimes step in between a chatting group, well, then, we sometimes receive indignant looks. Granted, we don’t belong in the illustrious circle and we’re not on first-name terms with Wolfgang.
A master’s student talks about the oeuvre
Now to Lino Heissenberg, whom, as I mentioned before, I didn’t know either. So, I ponder for a moment who he might be. Probably, just the mere pondering reveals my amateurism. Otherwise, I would probably know that Mr. Heissenberg is a true connoisseur of the art scene and also a master’s student of Candice Breitz at the HBK in Braunschweig. Hats off. Apart from that, the style of his presentation is entertaining. And even if I didn’t remember everything, I remembered one thing. The depiction of nudes by Barlang has nothing voyeuristic or sexist. No, they mostly stand discreetly in the background (e.g., in the work Déjà-vu) and are only vaguely discernible. And one more thing stuck in my memory: The exhibition “Figure and Emotion” shows works by Barlang from earlier dates as well as paintings whose paint has only recently dried.
Interpretation open
For the exhibition, the organizer has printed a text in postcard size. It’s unclear whether the content comes from the artist himself or the organizers. Without much understanding of art, I think that interpretation can also lie in the eye of the beholder. Shapes, colors, and compositions are what speak to me the most. Since I don’t possess any artistic talent when it comes to painting and drawing, I therefore admire anyone blessed with this gift. And this talent can certainly be attributed to Wolfgang Barlang.
I particularly liked the work “Modell mit Hut II”. The contrast between the elegance of the headwear and the very muscular body, enveloped in a black leather dress, is impressive to me. For me, the title of the exhibition “Figure and Emotion” becomes particularly clear in this picture. Both vulnerability and strength are expressed here.
The exhibition can be visited until April 27th at einRaum5-7, Thursdays and Fridays from 5 pm to 8 pm, and Saturdays from 2 pm to 7 pm.
