„Um, nice guy, good hospitality, but.. y'know.. I-I- I don‘t think he knows how to turn on a computer. (brief pause) So... but th-the good thing is he's filling the void.. uh, with coverage in xxxxxxxxxx at the moment so y'know they're-they're not drowning.“

Opening: 09 September 2016, 6 – 9 pm

Exhibition: 10 September – 19 October 2016

In his third solo exhibition with WENTRUP, Meisenberg shows new works on canvas, in film, and a site specific installation of several projections generated by a specifically written software program. 

His new series of canvases show motifs that have evolved continuously in his work: the grid, periodic broken lines, which appear as optical guides or cones of light, and the white color bars as limitations of picture within picture. A red-bearded man with pipe emerges, for example, and is reminiscent of Van Gogh’s self-portrait. In another, there is an oval area in vigorous blues and reds with wild strokes dashing about, which is similar to the Fauves. For Meisenberg, these allusions are not only picture within picture, but also allude to floating copy and paste modules, split screen moments, and computer presentation programs like PREZI. 

These canvases are set against a half-hour, single channel video that uses documentary-like material of the activity at a tennis court. In long close-up shots the uniformity of the white clothing stands out against the brittle green lawn, as do the movements of the protagonists, who move unusually slow. All of the players seem exceptionally old. Having a difficult time swinging and running, the exclusively male performers often run as if in slow motion behind the ball. Beige arthritis support stockings stand out from suntanned legs, and big bellies sit on thin legs. 

In Meisenberg’s exhibition „Um, nice guy, good hospitality, but.. y'know.. I-I- I don‘t think he knows how to turn on a computer. (brief pause) So... but th-the good thing is he's filling the void.. uh, with coverage in xxxxxxxxxx at the moment so y'know they're-they're not drowning.“ the thematic connection of reality and simulation is key to Meisenberg’s work. In this context, the motif of the tennis match has a haunting precursor in film history. Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow Up ends with a fictional match played by mimes.  In the moment when we as spectators see the eyes of the protagonist move and hear the sound of an invisible ball, the simulated tennis match suddenly becomes real. Although we ourselves cannot see it, mirroring becomes the tool for seeing the simulation of reality.

Florian Meisenberg was born in 1980 in Berlin. After his studies at the Dusseldorf Art Academy with Peter Doig, he moved to New York.

WENTRUP

Tempelhofer Ufer 22

10963 Berlin
Germany

opening hours tuesday - saturday 11 - 6 pm