Ruth Hommelsheim presents in her first solo exhibition at widmertheodoridis an installation comprising repainted photographs and an extensive installation of drawings. In Dreamland she utilizes strategies and elements from previous projects that she carries on and forward into a comprehensive exhibition concept.
The raw material of the Landmarks series in Dreamland is derived from photographs of various architectural objects that Hommelsheim gathered during her journeys. In a two-step process they are first painted over with white acrylic paint and then cropped. The paint remains adequately transparent, leaving the urban space–which surrounds the objects–detectable. Nonetheless the painting-over of the context creates a feeling of uncertainty: the respective building appears to have dropped from time and space.
The title Dreamland is derived from one of the objects in the pictures: it’s a neon sign from a decayed amusement palace along the British coast. The title also refers to the detached, dream-like status of the cropped objects. These small format images that deal with architecture are completed with two large format images. Just like the buildings, these figures are also cropped and highlighted by painting-over the background.
The pencil lines on the walls of the gallery form another layer that melts with the traces of previous exhibitions. Nail holes, imperfections and stains are connected with the photographs by pencil drawings. The drawing creates an abstract map, network or grid that holds the buildings and the individuals together and references them all anew.
Hommelsheim extends in Dreamland her current method: motifs from different series are detached from their initial project based context, reassembled and connected with spatial, condensed installations that create a new art work of their own.
