CONSTRUCTION / DECONSTRUCTION UP & CO @ EK STUDIO, Düsseldorf, 2024

MARK DAGLEY, JÜRGEN FREUND, ERINNA KÖNIG, PETER SCHWICKERATH

Creation and decay, permanence and transience, formation and decomposition, natural cycles and human intervention are the themes of this exhibition.

Erinna Königs “Nutzwert, 1982” was the inspiration for the exhibition. This work, a wooden pallet partially painted and called “Nutzwert” (utility value), is an act of deconstruction, provocation, and questioning. What is the perceived value of things and why? Society is challenged, the issue of the ‘life cycle’ is addressed, not least because Erinna König chooses objects that are generally thrown away as the basic material for many of her works.

Erinna Königs “Raketenbild” (Rocket Picture) from 1983 consists of (pallet) wooden frames, with the cores of fabric bales suggesting flying rockets – during the Cold War era. 'Zebra,' 1982, shows a white canvas mounted on a black-and-white slatted frame with a zebra pattern: an unvarnished commentary on colonial policy.

"Untitled" (Corner picture black red gold) 1989/1999 consists of pieces of wall paneling that have been painted, cut out, and transformed into an ambiguous double composition with wood and a brass circle.
‘O T Diagonale I’ 1984 is a bare wooden frame with a piece of roofing tarpaulin. Everyday materials are de-functionalized and composed. O.T. (Cross with Shadow), 1983, the asymmetrical work made of plywood with acrylic paint, speaks for itself, and ‘Lambertus,’ 1984, concludes the group with a reference to Düsseldorf's landmark, Saint Lambertus, in the old town.