ART KARLSRUHE

HEITSCH Gallery is taking part in the renowned Art Karlsruhe with two solo shows this year. We are pleased to present Antonio Marra and Eike König, two artists who could not be more different and yet are united by a temporary zeitgeist.

Marra, who comes from Milan, is known for his multi-perspectivist OP-Art works, which for many years have not only been discovered by lovers of form and colour. The famous Architecture Biennale in Venice also came across the Offenbacher-by-choice and immediately made him a knight of art with this year’s participation in Venice.

How did he manage that? Apart from his unique look, it is also the sometimes more, sometimes less hidden messages of his works that convince the art world: always questioning society (not critically!), his art is about interpersonal coexistence in the age of social media, about a seemingly never-satiated performance society and sustainability in any form. What is important to him about this: “The word sustainability has been misused in recent years. It only appears in connection with the environment. That is important, of course. But first and foremost we should be sustainable with ourselves, the people. The environment will also benefit from that.”

The Berlin enfant terrible of the graphic design scene Eike König picks up at a similar point: With his painted graphic satire, he was not least one of the highlights at this year’s Art Wynwood in Miami. His goal? To point out untamable capitalism with wit and surprise and to bring famous brands onto the carpet. His style? You could call it “mind branding” or digital pop art. Similar to Warhol in the 70s, König uses a handful of logos and advertising motifs and completely recontextualises them.

This recontextualisation has already earned him collaborations with fashion giants like Chanel or Nike, or even car manufacturers like Volkswagen.

That he himself lives as a kind of paradox, satirically taking capitalism and branding for a ride on the one hand, but at the same time selling his art for no small amount of money? “I like that.”