Steffen Kern
Light cuts through darkness but not through fog
I stumbled into this gallery by accident, when I had time to spare before class. Well, I'm so glad I did, because I discovered a treasure trove in the captivating works of Steffen Kern. Several weeks post-visit, the colors and subjects of the paintings stay etched into my mind, especially given the connection to my studies. Steffen is interested in the constant flood of visual stimuli that come at us every day and how they engrain themselves in our memory. The result is paintings that are somewhere between reality and dreamland.
The deceptive allure of his work lies in this dichotomy; he paints with pencil, charcoal, and sometimes ink, but borrows aspects one would see in a traditional photograph. He plays with contours, shadows and highlights, and depth of field. The colors he uses only enhance the atmosphere of his paintings, embodying a kind of eerie, apocalyptic quality.
There are rare moments in life where life stands still and you’d like for that moment to linger a little longer and this was one of those instances. Galleries can do that to you sometimes; I could stare at the paintings for hours had it not been for the class I had to attend. Especially, since the media environment and the ubiquitous nature of media today, is something that is at the core of my studies. The fact, is that you have to make a conscious effort to shield yourself from the constant influx of ideas, content, and stimuli. In the end, that is a futile attempt and there are many enjoyable aspects to living in a world that feels very much alive and bustling.
