Schmetterlingskuss

In her solo exhibition Schmetterlingskuss (Butterfly Kiss) the Düsseldorf-based artist Pauline Rintsch presents new works. In her figurative paintings, she explores themes of our human existence: everyday scenes and gestures, friendship and motherhood. The artist is driven by the events and scenes that surround her. It is not the solitary genius who creates, but rather her works are based on the exchange between people and thus offer us scope for projection and points of reference for personal experiences. With an open eye and an interest in details, Pauline Rintsch develops her works on the basis of the persons, objects or phrases that fascinate her. Her latest small-format works also draw inspiration from the artist's immediate surroundings, but are now imbued with a poetic, fairytale-like narrative in which humans and animals draw closer together: The cat on a child's head becomes human hair, a fur coat becomes protective fur and slender hands become red claws. In another instance, three girls greedily stretch their heads and tongues towards a juicy strawberry, resembling young birds. The animal(ism) serves not only as staffage or a symbol, but also awards Pauline Rintsch's works an anti-rational and magical form. Her works also show gestures of love or caring: in providing (Helene + Amaia), a mother holding a bottle of water to her child's mouth is at the centre of the scene. The work Schmetterlingskuss, which gives the exhibition its title, visualises a special kind of kiss in which the cheek of the other person is gently touched by opening and closing the eyelashes. Pauline Rintsch took this gesture as the starting point for her painting and combined it with a portrait of a friend. Placed flat on the wall without a frame, the works face each other and the viewer. And without framing – without protection or decoration – they are more vulnerable. At La Felce, they are also brought into the room with screens made out of wood and paper, receding and emerging and allowing new perspectives. Many of the paintings appear as if they are zoomed in – cropped – and do not reveal the location of the sceneries. Combined with an often symbolic imagery, they take on a parable-like form and leave room for further thoughts.