Ullrich, Andreas
Dialektischer Jesus (didaktisch) / 2008
Screen-printing frames / glass / wall print
(© Andreas Ullrich 2008)
The installation “Dialektischer Jesus (didaktisch)” (“Dialectic Jesus (didactic)”) shows two screenprinting frames of exposed photographs of the Turin Shroud, an acknowledged Christian relic from the 14th century. The relic allegedly shows the face of Jesus and is in good faith assumed to be his actual shroud, which covered him before the resurrection. Next to these a text was screen printed directly on the wall. The text is an excerpt from the chapter “The Culture Industry – Enlightenment as Mass Deception” from the book “Dialectic of Enlightenment” by Adorno and Horkheimer, published in 1947. The connection between relic template and applied reproduction technique, that is the appearance of the sanctified image on the screen used for reproduction and the text on the wall, points to the modern relationship between a media-related sense of mission and religious reverence, as well as the relationship between targeted marketing and the objection to it from a perspective of cultural criticism. Furthermore it refers to the spectacularisation of theological, or otherwise philosophical contents and ideas for the sake of an exploitative image strategy, which was supposed to be avoided in Christian Faith according to the formulation of the Ten Commandments (the Fourth Commandment: You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth).
AN/AUS (ON/OFF)/ 2007
Installation in public space for the exhibition “Altenburg, Provinz in Europa – eine künstlerische und kulturtopographische Anthologie” (Altenburg, back country in Europa – an artistic and culture topographical anthology / Lindenau-Museum Altenburg / 23.09.2007 – 17.02.2008
“AN/AUS” is the title of Andreas Ullrich contribution to the exhibition “Altenburg: Provinz in Europa”. On a control panel in front of the entrance of the Lindenau Museum passersby could switch the headlight that illuminates the house at night, as well as the interior lighting of the museum on or off as they wished.
Andreas Ullrich questions the validity of traditional institutions. “AN/AUS” was a game with light and at the same time a metaphor for the existence or non-existence of an artistic dimension of life.
The work symbolised the concerns of the entire project: it was about increasing the awareness of both people who live here, and those who know nothing or little about Altenburg, for the history and the present of this place, and the search for other, new perspectives.
Andreas Ullrich gave every passerby and every visitor of the Lindenau Museum the possibility of intervening in public space and thereby in public consciousness, and taking part playfully in the creation of art and culture.
(Extract from the preface of the catalogue on the exhibition)
Tetris / 2005
Audiovisual performance / Rundgang (Open day tour) of The Academy of Fine Arts (HGB), Leipzig
This audiovisual performance for 4 instruments was premiered at the HGB-Rundgang in 2005 and has a duration of 12 minutes.
Four musicians play an improvised piece together, thereby controlling simultaneously the well known computer game ‚Tetris‘. The control of the players is created by set notes, e.g ‚a‘ for movement to the right, ‚h‘ for the left, and ‚f‘ for turning etc.
The game only reacts to these notes and leaves all the other notes without effect for the development of the game itself. The success of the game process however, depends on the musical demands for a successful improvisational performance, as well as the musicians‘ craving for admiration from the audience.
This leads to an audible dramatic intensification during the process. The soloists have to weigh up; they have to decide between a good, audible or a visible successful game score.
We even got a fountain in our lobby. / 2010
Installation
This site specific temporary installation in the gallery of the HGB Leipzig can be primarily understood as an institution-critical work, which fitted especially well with the situation of a diploma examination. In the last years Leipzig has experienced an outright boom in attention for its Art Academy, which can be traced back to the skilful marketing of a few gallery owners and curators, however since then has found a world-wide resonance. The thus resulting overvaluation of the institution and its restrictions on formal critique in talks regarding quality, are reminiscent of the establishment of a trademark, individual bestsellers and thus calls for the students to deal with the conditions of the art market and its demands on conformity and decoration.
On this account, the fountain was suitable as a means to exaggerate the situation of the HGB and to visualise its dealings.
The work was furthermore presented at the HGB Rundgang, during which the gallery of the HGB is decorated in Grand Salon style with a number of paintings from various graduates. The baroque and modern elements of my installation, like for example the fountain, the golden ball, the pool of lather and the form of a swimming pool, all refer to a formal, put-on show luxury, combined with the invitation to plunge in The Fountain of Youth of the ‚White Cube‘, the birth place for modern artists, marking a direct transfer of the given teaching situation and the dealings with the art market at the HGB Leipzig. The massive fountain made from swimming pool tiles could be seen for three weeks in the framework of the Diploma exhibition. The second part of my Diploma work, the scanning work “Matratze, Diasec”, was available for viewing on the mezzanine floor of the gallery and should be seen in context of this work.