2020
DOCK20
Kunstraum und Sammlung Hollenstein, Lustenau
Nana Mandl is known for large-scale, color- and material-intensive paintings and collages. With this project, she turns her attention to the floor for the first time:
On an oversized carpet, custom-made for the exhibition space, she positions canvases, shake-pictures, and textile objects. Dancing Teletubbies meet colorful sticker motifs, abstract pixelated or blurry surfaces meet hand-drawn doodles, digital photos and image files meet written instructions and prompts. And repeatedly, symbols, images, and signs appear that remind of the exceptional time during the Corona lockdown:
Distance arrows, masked emojis, a raised index finger. In response to the politically mandated reduction of physical contact during those weeks, when social relationships mainly took place over the smooth surface of screens, Nana Mandl counters with a tactile, interactive space: all objects are meant to be touched, used, and experienced through the senses.
Social closeness and distance in interpersonal relationships and their entanglement with political and social power structures are themes that have long preoccupied Nana Mandl. Words like ‚Competition,‘ ‚Fear,‘ ‚Fight,‘ or ‚Power‘ appear in her works, but also repeatedly, ‚Love.‘ The artist’s strength lies in weaving the highly personal and private into a narrative of images, colors, and materials that resonates with an entire generation.
Curator: Claudia Voit
Photos: © DOCK20, Miro Kuzmanovic
and Nana Mandl