Isabell Heimerdinger
28 Apr - 26 May 2007
ISABELL HEIMERDINGER
The fleeting nature of reality and illusion
Nothing but a gentle breath on a mirror. And yet, this seemingly inconspicuous sign of life asserts its own undeniable existence despite its assumed evanescence. However, unlike in “real” life it does not disappear after an all-too-short period from the transparent surface of the glass. The revelation of this little mystery: it is artificial breath, a special effects spray used in the film industry to convincingly imitate human breath on a glass panel (1). This interaction between the ephemeral and the permanent, between artificiality and authenticity, i.e. between illusion and reality, runs like an intangible thread through Isabell Heimerdinger’s second solo exhibition at Gallery Korbath Wimmer in Vienna. In these works, “real” reality and its simulation no longer contradict one another. They merge together in the face of their own transience. And this idea is not only a theme of art, as Theodor W. Adorno puts it in his “Aesthetic Theory”, but also a problem of life. Both “reality” and its transformations ultimately appear disappointingly banal while still having a mysterious touch about them, like an accidentally overheard conversation on a mobile phone......
And when one loses face, when the “slick little girl” (Lou Reed) (2) finally removes her make-up and the beautiful illusion slowly disappears and the naked life is reflected in the brutally honest mirror, here, too, something ephemeral shines through, a little bit uncertain, a little bit vulnerable, but undeniable. Life ultimately wins out, in its sobering fashion. (3) And the mobile phone conversation mentioned above, the one side of the dialogue overheard, now becomes a bit more present. And later, when we draw our final breath after a more or less wonderful life, will we be able to transfer the splendour of life to the other side? Or will at least our “vanitas” be put into perspective? The titles of obituaries illuminate the room with glaring neon light. The essence of the life and work of selected film-makers is evoked this way, rather late but all the more pithily: “Schwarzer Engel / Black Angel” or “Stimme im Wind / Voice in the Wind” radiate in a way truly fitting to the medium. (4) And the conversation on the mobile phone has come to an unspectacular end (5).
(1) Breath on Mirror, FX spray on glass, 2007
(2) From his song “Make up”, 1972
(3) Make up. Video projection, 2007
(4) “Stimme im Wind / Voice in the Wind” (Francis Lederer), “Das verdammte Licht am Ende des Tunnels / The Damn Light at the End of the Tunnel” (Robert Altman),
“Schwarzer Engel / Black Angel” (Pierre Clementi), neon light writings, 2007
(5) Performance, 2007
Raimar Stange, Berlin, April 2007
The fleeting nature of reality and illusion
Nothing but a gentle breath on a mirror. And yet, this seemingly inconspicuous sign of life asserts its own undeniable existence despite its assumed evanescence. However, unlike in “real” life it does not disappear after an all-too-short period from the transparent surface of the glass. The revelation of this little mystery: it is artificial breath, a special effects spray used in the film industry to convincingly imitate human breath on a glass panel (1). This interaction between the ephemeral and the permanent, between artificiality and authenticity, i.e. between illusion and reality, runs like an intangible thread through Isabell Heimerdinger’s second solo exhibition at Gallery Korbath Wimmer in Vienna. In these works, “real” reality and its simulation no longer contradict one another. They merge together in the face of their own transience. And this idea is not only a theme of art, as Theodor W. Adorno puts it in his “Aesthetic Theory”, but also a problem of life. Both “reality” and its transformations ultimately appear disappointingly banal while still having a mysterious touch about them, like an accidentally overheard conversation on a mobile phone......
And when one loses face, when the “slick little girl” (Lou Reed) (2) finally removes her make-up and the beautiful illusion slowly disappears and the naked life is reflected in the brutally honest mirror, here, too, something ephemeral shines through, a little bit uncertain, a little bit vulnerable, but undeniable. Life ultimately wins out, in its sobering fashion. (3) And the mobile phone conversation mentioned above, the one side of the dialogue overheard, now becomes a bit more present. And later, when we draw our final breath after a more or less wonderful life, will we be able to transfer the splendour of life to the other side? Or will at least our “vanitas” be put into perspective? The titles of obituaries illuminate the room with glaring neon light. The essence of the life and work of selected film-makers is evoked this way, rather late but all the more pithily: “Schwarzer Engel / Black Angel” or “Stimme im Wind / Voice in the Wind” radiate in a way truly fitting to the medium. (4) And the conversation on the mobile phone has come to an unspectacular end (5).
(1) Breath on Mirror, FX spray on glass, 2007
(2) From his song “Make up”, 1972
(3) Make up. Video projection, 2007
(4) “Stimme im Wind / Voice in the Wind” (Francis Lederer), “Das verdammte Licht am Ende des Tunnels / The Damn Light at the End of the Tunnel” (Robert Altman),
“Schwarzer Engel / Black Angel” (Pierre Clementi), neon light writings, 2007
(5) Performance, 2007
Raimar Stange, Berlin, April 2007