SPUKHAFTE FERNWIRKUNG – NEWCOMER KWS Art Lounge displays resonance of artistic positions

“Constanze Böhm explores painting, ceramics and drawing both on the level of their actual materiality and in the respective environment in which they are shown,” said Eva Kienle, KWS board member, at the opening. “In her works, Constanze Böhm searches for a moment of tension within this setting. The exchange and communication about this is an important concern for her.” Maximilian Neumann's passion is movement in nature, reported Kienle. “He goes on hikes, which are a constant source of motivation for his work. It's also always about being in company, getting involved and communicating.”

Lotte Lindner and Till Steinbrenner introduced the two artists' working methods by explaining that the exhibition showed pictures, objects and events. Art was to be understood as a form of energy transfer. According to Albert Einstein, a “spooky remote effect”, the title of the exhibition, describes a phenomenon in which there is a connection between particles that cannot be explained according to the current laws of physics, said Lotte Lindner and Till Steinbrenner, who have formed an artistic unit for 20 years - they studied at the Braunschweig University of Art and graduated as master students of the famous performance artist Marina Abramovic. Constanze Böhm and Maximilian Neumann were far from working without objects: “On the contrary, their approach to the material is full of joy, love and sensitivity,” said Lotte Lindner and Till Steinbrenner. However, the relational aspect of their work was particularly noteworthy. The paintings and sculptures not only communicated with the viewers, but also with each other. The greatest attribute of this arrangement, which is so rich in visual and sensory qualities, was to convey an impression “that everything is connected to everything else. And that this is not just dependence, but also and above all connectedness,” said Lotte Lindner and Till Steinbrenner. “Or to put it in the language of music: symphony!”

In the table object made especially for the exhibition from waxed beech in the front room of NEWCOMER, Maximilian Neumann quotes a drawing by Constanze Böhm, adopting the oval formations of her drawing as the basis for his table construction, on which seven artist's books are placed. Developing artisanal and technical solutions is an integral part of his artistic repertoire. The oval of the table is also taken up again in the rear room in an object by Constanze Böhm: 250 oval chain links made of white, pearlescent ceramic are layered on a white carpet to form a sculpture. Connected and disconnected chain links are intended to allude to the metaphor of connection and separation, explains the artist.

Constanze Böhm, born in 1977, is an artist and freelance art mediator from Hanover. Before studying Fine Arts at the Braunschweig University of Art (HBK) with Olav Christopher Jenssen and Art Education (2013-2018), she completed the study certificate “Aesthetic Education and Design” (2011-2013) with distinction at the Leibniz University of Hanover and studied Costume Design (1997-2003) at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Maximilian Neumann, born in 1986, lives and works in Hanover. After studying fine art at the Braunschweig University of Art (HBK) under Hartmut Neumann and Olav Christopher Jenssen (2010-2017), he graduated with distinction and was then a master student of Olav Christopher Jenssen from 2017 to 2018. From 2008 to 2010, Maximilian Neumann was an associate student at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

Both are part of projektKLUB, an association of artists who realize interventions and exhibitions together (most recently at Kunstverein Hildesheim, Kunstverein Braunschweig, among others).

At the final exhibition on Saturday, July 20, cooking and sharing will define the artistic practice at a small event and underline the togetherness in art and in everyday life. “The eye can now eat too": different-colored dips and homemade bread will be served on the day from the ceramic bowls of Maximilian Neumann's work ‘With a little help from my friend’, which can be seen until then as an installation on a wall of the NEWCOMER rooms.

Visitors are invited to share the food with the artists and engage in conversation with them.