Publisher's Synopsis
In three of the works, created especially for the present exhibition and publication, Speckmann works with a new cutting technique and crosshatching. Lese and Reflex, both from 2018, show snapshots, brief moments. Executed with an entirely novel application of line and vibrancy of color, the shimmering palm grove in Lese recalls the tropical landscape in Lot and Domäne. It remains open whether the crocodile in the print Reflex extends upwards in triumph or falls downwards on being struck. In Basis (2018), the natural stone plinth, or the foundation upon which the statue is positioned, assumes a central position. The figure itself, inspired by a socialist sculpture, appears lackluster and outshined, while its head dissolves against graphic ambient noise. The work seems intent on conveying to us that although the ground remains and will endure through time, protagonists come and go. Here, Sebastian Speckmann introduces a play of ideas, oscillating between utopia, dystopia, and changing times.
