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JOHANNES TIEPELMANN / KATHARSIS / February 22 – March 29, 2008

exhibition views (please click on the image to enlarge):


(Photos: Uwe Walter)


Fate, agony, cruelty, love, death, horror and dolefulness are substances of the classical tragedy, which as the increase in mythical life bears the essence of real life. The fervidness it arouses – the „compassion“ for the tragic hero and the „fear“ of the demonstrated horror – plays a role to purify the viewer from his passions (after Aristotle).

In the works of the current theme „KATHARSIS“ by Johannes Tiepelmann are neither corpses nor bloodthirsty scenes to be seen, but the references to Aristotle´s catharsis doctrine are clearly manifested in the homonymous, big–sized painting „catharsis“. Placed centrally on a polished stage an Asian female figure does a combat movement in a kneeling pose. Her breath, as an extensive amorphous smoke form, as well as a long acuminate horn, which rises from her forehead, give the woman and also the painting a very dramatic aura. Positioned behind the actress and halfway hidden another figure enters the stage – his facial expression as ambiguous as his actions. Finally, the story jumps to a small–sized painting showing a figure with a Chinese mask who observes the stage scene and turns away from it, but continues to look at it – with terror in his eyes. The viewer remains with this reaction as an indication of a gruesome act. He needs to deal with the visualization of the catharsis doctrine by Aristotle – without being purified himself.

The theme „KATHARSIS“ which was inspired by the painting „Second Life“ has a heterogeneous effect since the artist uses various categories – portrait, genre, history – and in addition different sized formats. Johannes Tiepelmann creates unifying elements such as the smoke, that almost all the images of the exhibition have in common and (in correspondence to Aristotle) stands as a symbol for the „through fire purified soul“. Also the strip pattern of the semi–opened or closed curtain carries on through the series as dominant part of the painting or as background.

The large diptych „Men´s Business“ shows a break since the image seems almost collage–like. The interaction between the (on many different stories based) structure and the dissimilar surreal shapes in the painting is very intense, especially in the upper half of the picture. Also on iconographical level, the curtain and the stage imply for the theater and also the tragedy, which hides behind the paintings of „Katharsis“ by Johannes Tiepelmann. As an instrument of disguise the curtain points at narrative moments, hidden from the audience: An example could be the painted blood, that was to be seen on the unfinished version of the painting „Katharsis“, but has disappeared in the final. In such a way the title appears to refer to the process the artist needs to clean his own fire.

(Text by Sandra Kühn, January 2008)



Opening documented by the Berlin Artcontacter:
www.berlinerkunstkontakter.de