Celestial Artefacts

NAK Neuer Aachener Kunstverein is pleased to present the first institutional solo exhibition of artist Maximilian Rödel in April, entitled Celestial Artefacts. In his presentation at Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Maximilian Rödel focuses on the series of works Prehistoric Sunsets, on which he has been working continuously for several years, as well as on works that relate to it. The creation of the chromatic, non-representational images follows a principle of inner necessity, interspersed with moments of loss of control, in which Rödel immediately brings something new to the canvas. One senses transcendence, both in the creation of the works and in their contemplation. Following their title Prehistoric Sunsets, the variously colored abstract works, some of which are large-scale, could be reminiscent of luminous, intense sunsets; they are prehistoric, before time and, from a human perspective, entirely devoid of the idea of time. Foreground and background are one, depth and surface at the same time, inseparable, a maelstrom in which color nuances intertwine, blur, shimmer, flash. The sublime seems tangibly close. The surface of the canvas marks the border between the visible and the invisible. But on which side of the canvas do the two states negotiate their mutually dependent and simultaneously opposing existence? The title of the exhibition, Celestial Artifacts, also hints at the intangible, the spherical. Rödel’s works fall out of time and refer to the unknown. The title thus opens a wide bracket, which at the same time wants to include everything and just as willingly nothing. The concept of the exhibition includes two symbols, anthropomorphized globes that blend with the works on display. One sphere is adorned with a laughing face, the other sphere with a crying face. These symbols are placed on doors in the exhibition spaces. They equally close and open up the rooms. Maximilian Rödel was born in Braunschweig in 1984. He studied at Braunschweig University of Art and then continued his studies at Universität der Künste Berlin, graduating as a master student of Robert Lucander in 2011. Maximilian Rödel lives and works in Berlin.