11/16/ – 12/24/2018
In her series of watercolors Katja Felle addresses a central theme of our society – communication, dating and love in the digital age. In her works she questions, based on her personal experiences, communication and emotional relationships in contemporary society. Starting point are received messages or fragments from her dialogues in social networks. The traditional technique of watercolor painting is often interpreted in the visual arts as a medium that forms a basis or sketch for paintings. Katja Felle understands watercolor to be demanding and difficult to control. Due to the liquid consistency of the paint, the water retains full control. The watercolor quickly appears dreamy or kitschy and is often described as a very feminine technique. Its proximity to the medium of painting cannot be overlooked.
In contemporary art, the choice of this medium is rare and exceptional. However, she chose this very medium because of its blurring and fading appearance and sees in it a close metaphorical connection to the virtual world, which she describes as “opposition of haptic reality”, counterpart to haptic reality. She reflects information, society and the virtual world, which allows us to communicate differently with different and more possibilities. The less contact there is with reality, the more imagination and expectations can unfold. The Internet allows us to explore new possibilities and experiences with the everlasting feeling that something better and more exciting is waiting for us. If reality does not meet our expectations, we can still escape into the virtual world. This new era allows us anonymity, acceptance and new unconventional forms of desire. The Internet also allows a performativity that can be a trigger for social and societal crises in the analog world. Katja Felle’s works address the moment of disappointment – unrealizable expectations of a relationship and an end that corresponds to the initial situation – the chat: harsh and pathetic statements. Social media offers us various options for a continuous optimization of our person; superficial information through photos, descriptions of hobbies and interests. This information is determined by the user and presents an idealized version or vision of ourselves. The person on the other hand develops illusions, projections and longings on and for his or her counterpart. If an actual meeting and the transfer of online communication into reality occurs, the disappointment is sometimes great. You need more information to dissolve the original illusion. From here on the fear of confrontation arises – “If I do not like it, I will not waste my time, I will go ahead. – If a window closes, a new one opens. The Internet creates new perceptions of society and relationships. If romantic expectations are not immediately satisfied, a hole is created and the need to resolve it arises, because we can immediately reach for new possibilities for adventure and happiness.
The connection of this theme and the medium of watercolor also symbolizes a taste – “sweet” – the feeling and taste of watercolor, romance, relief and fading.
The main focus in Katja Felle’s work lies in “disturbance in communication”, a theme she has been working and researching since 2011. The title of the exhibition “Out of the Blue” allows for various associations: The change of a state, the blue light of the digital screen and the feeling of “feeling blue”.
KATJA FELLE graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2011 and completed the “university study program” in 2015, before the Bologna reform. Since 2017 she has been studying for her Master’s degree at the Institute of Art in Context, University of the Arts Berlin, Germany. In 2013 she was Artist-in-residence in Schafhof – European House of Artists Upper Bavaria, Freising, Germany. Since 2015 she is leading a participatory project: Stop-Sew-Reset at the Carinthian Intergenerational Center at Ravne na Koroškem, Slovenia. Her works have been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Slovenia, Austria and Germany. The artist lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
Curated by Marlene Bart & Jean D. Sikiaridis – TURBA Gallery, Hannover
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