Photo by Lola Lustosa

Die Beziehung zwischen Bild und Text ist ein unermüdliches Thema. Besonders die Manifestation digitaler Medien als integraler Bestandteil des menschlichen Alltags, scheint immer wieder nach einer künstlerischen Auseinandersetzung zu verlangen.
Ein Beispiel hierfür liefert der erste Teil der Ausstellungsreihe „Bilder zwischen den Zeilen – Kapitel 1” im Salon Dahlmann. ARTPRESS unterhielt sich mit dem finnischen Künstler und Kurator Eemil Karila über die Relevanz von Bildern und Texten in der Kunst.

The exhibition gathers various artists under the topic of “text and image”.
What was your focus as a curator?
The idea came from the invitation to create something in collaboration with the Frankfurt book fair, where Finland is a guest land this year. I wanted to reflect the relation between authors and artists, deeper also to focus how do we “read” images. Naturally the field is wide and I did my choices quite intuitively. I came to curate exhibitions by being artist and I basically chose artists and works that have made strong impression to me within the context of the theme chosen.

What developments and trends can you see in comparison to works from
40 years ago?
The trends seem to come and go in cycles, still I believe they are always repeated in new contexts and meanings. The text took more conceptual forms in artworks when it was still revolutionary to present text as a composition like for example in semiotic poetry. Minimalism is something that seems to be a big trend now. The subject of an artwork is hidden behind the formal act and meanings beyond simple gestures. This I think is mostly because at the moment we are being over flooded by images. We want to see art almost without images.

How important are images and text to contemporary digital culture?
Throughout the modern breakthrough the images came to everyday life from art and as mentioned earlier we have more images than we ever had. They have taking over the text in many ways. But more over, there is not really so much difference in text and image. We use thumbnails and other signs to navigate in life and in digital media. I would say there are convenience issues, but sadly reading becomes too slow for many young generations and they are loosing the patience. Hopefully we will create new ways of reading and absorbing information. Text takes also much more manipulative and intentional forms as we have algorithms in digital media forming the headlines and setting up exactly the punch lines the way “you” need to see them.

Does one override the other?
They work naturally as a team, mostly because they are presented by certain purpose. In digital culture we are more and more in industrial market of companies with their advertisements surrounding our individual selfie promotions and everyday philosophies.

What impact do texts and images have on the artists’ perceptions of modern society?
I would say that the whole perception of modern society comes from texts and images since we face the history through them. Artists play intuitively with texts and images forming their meanings to present context, foreseeing the coming and commenting the past. So the impact is big, since artists are one of the few groups that can honestly maintain a critical approach on what they see and take reality.

In your opinion, what makes artists choose to work with text?
My opinion is that there is basically no way to not choose to work with text. Text has its own role in our modern art history and it has created our intellectual tools to communicate and think, all this through long process of collective and social development. Cubists, surrealists, pop-art and conceptual artists had all their different ways to “use” text in their works. Text can be very definitive way of expression and therefore a simple tool. It can also be used contra this simplicity and there can be a number of hidden meanings as in images.

Interview: Victoria Trunova

BILDER ZWISCHEN DEN ZEILEN
Kapitel 1
05.09. – 01.11.2014
Kjersti G. Andvig (NOR), Matti Braun (D/FIN), Van Brummelen & De Haan (NL), Albert Coers (D), Laura Horelli (FIN), Kalle Lampela (FIN), Lars Laumann (NOR), Rosa Liksom (FIN), Dennis Loesch (D), Kirsi Mikkola (FIN), Ritta Nelimarkka (FIN), Janne Räisänen (FIN), Jarkko Räsänen (FIN), Benja Sachau (D), Elsa Salonen (FIN)

Kuratiert von Eemil Karila

Salon Dahlmann
Marburger Straße 3, 10789 Berlin
Öffnungszeiten: Samstags 11-16 Uhr und nach Vereinbarung

Vorschau:
BILDER ZWISCHEN DEN ZEILEN
Kapitel 2
14.11.2014 – 15.01.2015
Albert Coers (D), Laura Horelli (FIN), Kalle Lampela (FIN), Rosa Liksom (FIN), Kirsi Mikkola (FIN), Riita Nelimarkka (FIN), Janne Räisänen (FIN), Riiko Sakkinen (FIN), Elsa Salonen (FIN)

Finnland-Institut
Georgenstr. 24, 10117 Berlin

Die Ausstellung ist Teil des Satellitenprogramms COOL2014 zum Ehrengast Finnland auf der Frankfurter Buchmesse 2014.