Each new generation of artists tests the works of its predecessors for their usability for their own work and in this way confirms their role models. Jonas, who has been working as a sculptor, draughtsman and painter for more than ten years, whose visual imprint started in Berlin and was then formed during his studies in Düsseldorf with Markus Lüpertz and Siegfried Anzinger, observes thoughtfully and with critical distance where he finds his place.

Sculptors have to have a lot of patience, Jonas, who was born in 1984 and initially worked in stone, can tell you a thing or two about that. While working painstakingly on stone, Jonas has created space for reflection on what today are suitable materials and means to express his feelings and thoughts.

Having grown up in the environment of the new Expressionism in Berlin, he first explored the sculpture of the 1920s, where he found unexploited models for his work, from Beckmann to Schlemmer. Oskar Schlemmer’s philosophical exploration of the essence of things and appearances becomes the starting point for Jonas‘ work and opens up the possibility for him to orientate himself without having to commit to a style.

Another circle closes when we learn of Jonas’s Düsseldorf role model Norbert Kricke, who in turn was a master student of the Berlin artist Hans Uhlmann. The work of both artists leads us to steel sculptures, to steel as a material in general, which added a new element to sculpture in the 20th century.

Vernissage – Chaos Chips by sculptor Jonas Hoedicke at Galerie Raab – Berlin Fasanenstrasse

It embodies revolutionary inventions in industry and architecture and, especially in its broken form, has inspired artists to explore the relativity of time and space. Steel is hard and cannot be bent, so for the artist it is a challenge to try out contradictory, paradoxical things with the material. For example, with steel wire, „striding figures“ can be bent out of it, which in turn can be made to dance with each other on a „stage“. Through this, steel gains a completely different meaning, it has become buoyant, mobile.

This leads to further dialogues. Silicone, dowels, screws and wire are used to create still lifes, which, entitled „Chaos Chips“, develop a cheerful, elegant or strictly structured life of their own here. No question, a „virus“ creeps in from time to time, but that’s not so bad, because if you take a closer look at the „Crab Claw Virus“, it’s another well-composed still life that doesn’t attack, because the claws in their dried state are more reminiscent of our passion for collecting as children on the beach than of the attack of a giant crab.

The fact that humour plays a role in Jonas‘ work, subtle games of association that evoke a smile here, playfully evoke one’s own memories there, raises expectations that one looks forward to. A young artist invites you to discover the world of tomorrow, you only have to accept his invitation to dive into unknown spheres.

Gaza