gerhardt knodel at wasserman projects
Imagined Futures
“As uncharted journeys by boat have inspired imagination throughout time, Artist Gerhardt Knodel’s investigation of extraordinary heritage textiles of Sumatra guided the concept for Imagined Futures. The exhibition takes us on a journey with eight characters who escape the routines of their existence, accompanied by embodied ancestors spiriting the way. Multiple dimensions of Knodel’s four year adventure inspire reflection on the potency of cultural inheritance as resource for contemporary action. There is no turning back!”
This expansive, multimedia installation beckons visitors to immerse themselves in a playfully presented narrative on the human genealogy that resonates and drives us in the present. Each whimsical character is carefully crafted in material and invention complete with their personal ancestral panel. The marionettes and their corresponding tapestries gently animate in response to motion in the gallery.
All but one of the figures stand out in vivid color from their scaled 2D depictions while Theresa Von Bingham, garbed in white, merges with her greyscale backdrop enjoying unassuming, elegant camouflage.
An entire wall is devoted to a series of collaged textile paintings using similar palettes but arranged in unique compositions illustrating common human quandaries. The combination of these visual representations and the realization that the viewer isn’t alone in life’s complex and often tricky navigation generates connection and a sense of community.
As always, drawings provide a window into the artist’s process, way of thinking. Knodel creates these fanciful personalities each with a distinct identity and temperament with names to match.
At a time when the globe is a bit bonkers, recalling ancestors who faced similar or worse and survived, that we carry their incredibly resilient blood and sinew within ourselves, can inspire us to keep forging ahead. There’s comfort and pause in taking mental journeys we easily embarked upon when we were kids. Beauty is always available even if it’s found solely in daydreams and stories.
“The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.” —Ernest Hemingway
On view through April 26th at Wasserman Projects 3434 Russell Street #502 Detroit
*images are mine
direct quote from gallery materials
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