This coming November we’re excited to profile the intricate work of German based artist Andrea Offermann. Her paintings address the juxtaposition of science and nature and the natural and mechanical worlds.
Andrea shares a lil’ bit behind her new series of works:
The human mind seems always to be driven to explore the unknown and try to make sense of it, collecting and building the pieces into a bastion of knowledge to take refuge behind. But this knowledge is often one-sided, many mysteries and revelations are passed unseen, the bastion is weak and hollow inside. Curiosity for the unknown, yet fear of something strange, lead to exploration along one path without deviation or an eye for undiscovered truths along the way. The result is a poor reconstruction of the one facet that has been focused on.
In my new series of works I am playing with some basic human desires, the desire to recognize oneself in ones surroundings, creatures, other humans, the desire to understand something and make it useful, and the desire to leave something behind.
Recognizing oneself in objects and landscape immediately triggers a connection, a sense of comfort. Trees with the resemblance of human faces become building material. The landscape is shaped and built upon to form a connection to the people, the human leaves marks that he can recognize, fields, houses, ladders. Objects, animals, shapes that are unfamiliar are ignored in favor of the ones that seem familiar and give a sense of home.
Yet the figures in my landscapes do not see or understand the “creature” they are walking upon, they take parts they recognize themselves in, without seeing the whole, and create a hollow image of themselves, instead of trying to see underneath the surface and combining what they know with the new they have learned.
Andrea Offermann “Here Be Dragons“
Reception with the artist: Sat, Nov. 5th 5-8PM in our project room
Also on view in our main gallery: Joao Ruas ‘YORE‘
Thinkspace / 6009 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA / www.thinkspacegallery.com
