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Philip Grözinger’s first solo exhibition in Asia

<WHY SO SERIOUS?>

7 July - 25 August, 2022

(Closed on Mondays)

The German artist Philip Grözinger’s first solo exhibition in Asia entitled "WHY SO SERIOUS?" will be unveiled simultaneously in three different locations in Seoul, Korea. CHOI&CHOI Gallery in Samcheong-dong, and HORI Artspace and AIF Lounge in Cheongdam-dong will present a total of 80 pieces of works, with 40 paintings and works on paper on view in each district. This exhibition marks their second collaborative effort to introduce promising German contemporary artists to Korea, followed by last year's solo exhibition featuring David Lehmann.

The first impression of Philip Grözinger's work is that it is full of infinite vigor with vibrant and lurid colors that fill the canvas. However, beneath the surface, his work contains profound messages that touch on the plethora of emotions such as anxiety, loneliness, sadness, and joy that define modern society. It creates an emotional stimulus that is ineffably foreboding, crushingly uneasy, chaotically confusing, yet optimistically humorous all at the same time.

Philip Grözinger’s unique style could be classified as “post–apocalyptic” – depicting scenes that come after humanity’s last breath. Peculiar figures leave a lasting impression as they wander about among the relics of bygone civilizations against the backdrop of abstract worlds. Mysterious mechanical structures, fortresses, and fiery skylines are also reminiscent of the science fiction genre or retro video games. To sum up the styles that reflect Grözinger's various interests, it is a visual embodiment of a “fictional cosmos across time and space."

"There are fragments that float around in your head, and sometimes you don't even know where these impressions come from. I often feel that way when I paint or quote things, then it comes to me little by little. It trickles down. And I find it extremely beautiful to incorporate things like that, or to incorporate quotes from the past. That's fun for me. Sometimes I have so much to tell or so much in my head that I start to sketch, and then I realize that one picture just won’t do. So, the one falls like a domino into the other one, and that falls again into the next, and so on and so on. But how the story then continues in the painting and in the viewer’s mind, that is no longer subject to my influence."

- Philip Grözinger

In the painterly sense, Philip Grözinger's work is read as epic poetry in which flash inspirations and fragments of memory are condensed into one. His fast-paced painting style comprises uniquely unconstrained, instinctive brushstrokes, and he does not limit himself to a particular medium as he freely employs oil, acrylic, pastel, spray paint, and anything else he can get his hands on. He does not limit himself to certain art trends or styles such as surrealism, expressionism, or romanticism, but visualizes "a horizon of imagination in all of its shapes and forms" to weave his unique and abstract narratives.

The galleries for the exhibition in Samcheong-dong and Cheongdam-dong are divided into two sub-themes, displaying Grözinger’s unique reinterpretation of various human emotions and sensibilities in an inviting and engaging way. First, the exhibition at CHOI&CHOI Gallery in Samcheong-dong will showcase the works under the sub-theme of "LONELINESS", demonstrating the ways in which feelings of solitude and loneliness can act as another source of vitality. Next, HORI Artspace and AIF Lounge in Cheongdam-dong are planning the exhibition under the sub-theme of “CURIOSITY”, presenting how curiosity, the first starting point of human sensibility, is sublimated into the artist’s work in order to open doors to intriguing interpretations.

Nowadays, our lives are filled with our own unique and heterogeneous emotions that cannot be stringently defined. And humans can only see very limited parts of the entire color spectrum, whilst there is a whole range of colors that exist outside of our perception. Grözinger strives to capture this complexity and diversity as he creates organic pictorial narratives, in which so many different colors and techniques exist in harmony. The essential appeal of Grözinger's painting is that the viewers are involved in the story telling. That is probably because he believes that an artist should only guide the viewer and provide the trigger, leaving it up to each individual to create their own narratives thereafter. The fun is in seeing how the story unfolds and ends in the minds of each viewer.

So, are you ready to find out what personal memories you can recall from these otherworldly scenes? We are delighted to invite you as the main character of Philip Grözinger’s first solo exhibition in Asia, “WHY SO SERIOUS?”.

* Hosted by Nari Kim (CEO of HORI Artspace) · Jinhee Choi & Sunhee Choi (CEO of CHOI&CHOI Gallery) · Yoon-sub Kim (CEO of AIf Art Management)

* Sponsored by ONE MEDICS INDUSTRY

Installation Views

Works

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Philip Grözinger

필립 그뢰징어, (1972-)