BENEDIKT HIPP

“THE EDUCATED MONKEY”

16 Settembre – 7 novembre 2015

Monitor è lieta di inaugurare la sua stagione espositiva a Roma, con la mostra personale dell’artista tedesco Benedikt Hipp (Monaco, 1977).
Nella mostra intitolata “The Educated Monkey” saranno presentati una serie di nuovi lavori insieme ad una recente scultura di grandi dimensioni (Console with pin-body mounted on repetition, (pneumopathologic studies, 2015) e un dipinto (Octagon surrounded by white smokers, 2015), realizzati in occasione dell’ultima personale dell’artista presso il Wilhelm Hack Museum a Ludwigshafen (Germania).

 Hipp, che ha studiato con Sean Scully e Nikolaus Lang all’Akademie der Bildenden Künste di Monaco, nel suo lavoro analizza i concetti contemporanei e le immagini di individualità, identità e autonomia del soggetto all’interno della società.Il suo linguaggio visivo è pervaso dall’idea della ‘figura individuale’, la quale sembra essere incastonata nel suo spazio fisico e psichico, così come all’interno degli elementi architettonici e geometrici. I volti sono mascherati o coperti da pattern, mettendone in luce l’assurdità.
In questo senso le figure nella pittura di Hipp non possono essere chiaramente identificate e invitano lo spettatore a entrare nell’immagine stessa.
L’artista affronta temi attuali, così come miti tradizionali e ricordi personali, plasmandoli negli archetipi sociali del nostro tempo.

 Una figura chiave per la comprensione dell’aspetto “dividuale” dell’opera di Hipp è il filosofo Eric Voegelin che nello scorso secolo ha coniato il termine “pneumopatologia”.
Egli ha descritto la progressiva affermazione di un ‘io contratto’, respingendo religioni antiche e metafisica, così come il divario tra percezione del sè dell’essere umano e la percezione olistica del mondo nel suo complesso.
Il lavoro di Hipp connette i simboli della cultura contemporanea, il mito, la religione, la spiritualità, la critica della civilizzazione, e contiene riferimenti a doni votivi, subcultura, rituali, fumetti e culti.

 In occasione dell’opening sarà presentato il nuovo catalogo sul lavoro di Hipp, realizzato dal Wilhelm-Hach-Museum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein e intitolato ‘Ich habe meinen Augen nicht getraut, auch meinen Ohren nicht / I’ve never trusted my eyes, or my ears’.


ENGLISH VERSION

BENEDIKT HIPP

“THE EDUCATED MONKEY”

September 16th – November 7th 2015

Monitor is pleased to open its exhibition programme in Rome with a solo show of German artist Benedikt Hipp (Munich 1977).
Entitled “The Educated Monkey”, the show will present a series of paintings together with a recently completed large scale sculpture (Console with pin-body mounted on repetition, (pneumopathologic studies, 2015) and the painting Octagon surrounded by white smokers (2015), both from the artist’s last solo show at the Wilhelm Hack Museum in Ludwigshafen.

Hipp, who studied with Sean Scully and Nikolaus Lang at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich, investigates in contemporary concepts and images of individuality, identity and autonomy of the subject within society.
His visual language is pervaded by the idea of the individual figure. The appearance of it (the figure), seems to be entangled with its physical and psychical space such as with architectural and geometrical elements. Faces are masked or covered by patterns and spotlighting absurdity. In this sense the figures in Hipp’s paintings, cannot be clearly identified and invite the viewer to step within the image itself.
He tackles current themes as well as traditional myths and personal memories, forging them into social archetypes of our times.

A key figure for understanding the “dividual” aspect of Hipp’s oeuvre is the philosopher Eric Voegelin, who in the last century coined the term “pneumopathology”. He described the emergence of a “contracted self” by excluding ancient religions and metaphysics as well as the divide between the self-perception of human beings and a holistic perception of the world as a whole.
Hipp’s work connects contemporary cultural signifiers, myth, religion, spirituality and criticism of civilization, and contains references to votive gifts, subculture, rituals, comics and cults.

The opening will also feature the presentation of a new catalogue devoted to Hipp, published by the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum of Ludwigshafen am Rhein and entitled Ich habe meinen Augen nicht getraut, auch meinen Ohren nicht (I’ve never trusted my eyes, or my ears).

BENEDIKT HIPP

Selected solo shows: 2015 “The Educated Monkey”, Monitor, Rome; Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen, DE; 2013 “Bleibsel als Reflex”, Kadel Willborn, Düsseldorf, GE; 2012 “Luxstätt”, Kunstpalais Erlangen, DE; 2011 “Von Tür nach Thule”, Kadel Willborn, Karlsruhe, GE; 2010 “Atlas ohne Vermerk”, Bielefelder Kunstverein, DE; 2009 Art Statements / Art Basel 40, CH; “Noch-Nicht-Mehr”, Schürmann Berlin, DE; Deutsche Bundesbank Sammlung, Frankfurt a.M., DE; 2007 “LEIHHAUS”, Galerie Iris Kadel, Karlsruhe, DE; 2004 “Außer Sicht”, Galerie Hermeyer, Munich, DE

Selected Group shows: DE 2014 Bielefeld Contemporary. Zeitgenössische Kunst aus Bielefelder Privatsammlungen, Bielefelder Kunstverein, DE; “Un’Idea di Pittura I”, Monitor, Rome, IT; 2012 “Made in Germany II”, Kunstverein Hannover; Sprengel Museum; kestnergesellschaft Hannover,; 2011 “Secret Societies”, CAPC de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, FR; “Secret Societies”, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, DE; 2010 Van Bommel van Dam Prize, Museum Van Bommel van Dam, Venlo, NL; 2009 Lothringer 13, Städtische Kunsthalle München, Munich, DE; 2008 “NICHTS IST EINDEUTIG”, Weltraum, Munich, DE; Kerlin Gallery, Dublin, IR; “Do you have expectations?”, Wartesaal, Zurich, CH; 2007 “Kunststudenten stellen aus”, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, DE; 2006 “Figuration II”, Galerie Hermeyer, Munich, DE; 2004 “Schule der Malerei”, Diözesanmuseum Freising, DE; “Schule der Malerei”, Galerie der Hochschule Bildende Künste, Dresden, DE.