Wo der Raum vorbeifliegt

Heidelberger Kunstverein is pleased to announce the first joint exhibition of the Mannheim-based artists Katinka Eichhorn and Jordan Madlon. Their image-objects move between painting, sculpture, poetry, assemblage, and drawing whilst extending the critique of medium-based categories. Their pieces, made from textiles, paper, wood, and aluminium, hang on the wall, divide space—inside from outside—implode, bend, and withstand. Two-dimensional planes are sewn together, printed on and filled. They expand in space and become bodies. The choice of fabric, filling material and gravity affect their shapes. Simultaneously, their works share an undeniable openness, elasticity, and dynamism — regardless of whether materials are malleable, reacting with slight adjustments to body movements, or whether they seem fixed like stencilled lettering. For where the material is hard, the forms are soft. It is as if rigid shapes appear to become fluid by imitating the pliable presence of objects made from textiles. Hence, the differently layered cutouts of wood and aluminium may appear stiff, yet they suggest movement. From a horizontal axis that forms a counterpart to the floor, some forms seem to flow downward, while others strive upwards against gravitational force. Deliberately placed blank spaces in the works further enhance this dynamism on display here. As details, these 'cutouts' draw attention to what is omitted as well as to the process of omission. Functioning as interruptions and fragments, they simultaneously place the potential of supplementation within representational space and thus engaging the viewer in the structure of the work. The exhibition 'Wo der Raum vorbeifliegt / where space wings by' relates to the idea of in-betweenness that manifests itself materially in individual works but also metaphorically as the overarching connection between both artistic practices. The artists themselves describe this 'in-between space' as an invisible space. The works are expected to make this quality tangible. To direct one's attention to the in-between means endeavouring to understand situations constituted by movement and mediation. As a (strangely slippery) condition, artistic in-between space also allows one to escape the essentialism that dominates Western logic in its search for the true nature of things and divide the world into ideas of 'this' or 'that'. In Eichhorn and Madlon's work, space is not just a physical container. It is also activated as a dynamic phenomenon of semantic ambiguity. Interestingly, Hilde Domin's poem Unaufhaltsam (1994), about the power of (uttered) words, inspired the artists for their exhibition. From the poem, the line 'Wo das Wort vorbeifliegt' (Where the word flies by) was adapted so that 'word' was replaced by 'space'. In this way, the latter's agency is expressed. It is not without reason that the exhibition focuses more on exploring spatial relationships and less on questioning representational space or the meaning of individual visual elements as signs. Artists Katinka Eichhorn (b. 1993 in Hamburg, Germany) creates objects from textiles. Drawings play an integral role in this process. They are her response to personal memories, observations, and precise measurements. Eichhorn then translates the lines of these 'drawn deliberations' onto textiles. Sometimes it manifests itself as a seam that brings a part of a hidden layer of fabric to the fore. At other times, it forms scarcely perceptible seam patterns. The interaction between negative and positive space, fragmentations, symmetries and their dissolution are recurring elements in her compositions. Jordan Madlon (b. 1989 in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe) explores colour, form, and space through various techniques. His sculptural image compositions consist of the combination of wood, paper, aluminium, and textile cutouts. In his 'print-objects', he expands on the medium of woodblock printing; fabric becomes the bearer of the image whilst dictating its shape. Playful articulations of lines and letters characterise his vocabulary. From a collection of small pieces of paper, remnants of cuttings, and notes, he assembles compositions that he calls 'remarks on time and duration'. CVs Jordan Madlon lives and works in Mannheim. From 2008–2014 he studied at École Supérieur d'Art et de Design de Saint-Étienne (FR). After his graduation, he undertook a postgraduate programme with Prof. Helmut Dorner at Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe from 2014–2016. He was awarded the Kunstart prize by François Schneider Foundation in 2017 and a stipend from the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg in 2019. His works are represented in several public collections, among them the François Schneider Foundation in Wattwiller (FR), MWK Baden-Württemberg (D) and FRAC Auvergne (FR). Recent solo shows include ‘Diagrammatisch’, Kunstmuseum Reutlingen | Spendhaus, 2021; ‘former la langue’, COHERENT, Bruxelles (BE), 2019–2020; ‘Un amour si grand qu’il nie son objet’, Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart (D), 2019; ‘Du caractère de la nuance’ (with Julie Digard), Luis Leu, Karlsruhe (D), 2019; ‘Seine Zunge im ZRaum halten’, V8 Plattform für neue Kunst, Karlsruhe (D), 2018. Recent group shows include 'Burden Painting', LAUBE Karlsruhe Binome, duo exhibition with Rémy Hysbergue; 'For real?!', Kunstverein Reutlingen (D), 2022; 'Zig Zag', Kunstverein Bad Durkheim (D), 2021; 'After School', Artpress Biennal of Young Artists, Musée d'art moderne et contemporain de Saint-Étienne Métropole (FR), 2020; '49°—Offene Ateliers', initiated by Badischer Kunstverein and BNN, Karlsruhe (D), 2018; and 'Jeune Création: °67ème Édition', Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris (FR), 2017. Katinka Eichhorn studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. She was an artist in residence at L'Association Saint Henri, Castelnaudary, France, in 2017. She was awarded studio funding from the city of Mannheim, where she currently lives, until 2026. Group exhibitions include ‘fragments of a glimpse’, two decks, Altes Güterhalleamt, Mannheim, 2022; ‘Ich habe dich zum fressen gern’, Kontingent Kollectiv, Munich, 2022; Betriebswerk, Heidelberg, 2021; ‘Zig Zag’, Kunstverein Bad Dürkheim, 2021; ‘unter Vorbehalt’, Luis Leu, Karlsruhe, 2020; ‘Give me a reason’, Gellertstraße Karlsruhe, 2020; ‘Schlafen werden wir später’, Kalinowskiraum, Karlsruhe, 2019; Examensausstellung, AdBK Karlsruhe, 2019; ‘Z wie Zartheit’, Orgelfabrik Karlsruhe Durlach, 2018; ‘Indra, Transmogrified’, Kunstverein Pforzheim, 2016; ‘Gold war Gestern’, Ciao - Kunstraum, Karlsruhe, 2015.