ORNAMENT UND VERBRECHEN 5 — LAGE EGAL CURATORIAL PROJECT #205

ORNAMENT UND VERBRECHEN 5 — LAGE EGAL CURATORIAL PROJECT #205

CLARA BAHLSEN
FLORIAN BALZE 

Preview SAT, NOV 4, 2023, 3—7pm
Grand Opening 7—9pm

Exhibition dates NOV 5 — DEC 2, 2023
Open hours FRI — SAT, 3—6pm
Also open by chance or appointment

LAGE EGAL CURATORIAL PROJECTS
Curated by PIERRE GRANOUX
Strausberger Platz 19, 10243 Berlin
Contact: sonderlage@lage-egal.net
0173 1807226 (Pierre); 0179 7511854 (Florian)

We are pleased to present the fifth exhibition of ORNAMENT UND VERBRECHEN with a selection of sculptures by FLORIAN BALZE and photographs by CLARA BAHLSEN. The series of exhibitions takes place at our temporary space at Strausberger Platz 19, located within one of the historic neoclassical Hermann Henselmann towers, also known as “Haus des Kindes”. The title of this series takes inspiration from the renowned essay by architectural theorist Adolf Loos, who asserted that ornament was a sign of decadence and violence in modern society. 

In her photographs, installations and texts, CLARA BAHLSEN explores the evolving significance of objects by isolating and deconstructing them in their material, form and function, thus focusing on the changing dynamics of object meanings and interpersonal relationships. Her work is conceptual and influenced by a variety of artistic and cultural elements, which she extends to the production of artists’ books. FLORIAN BALZE plays with the relationship between the abstraction of classical modernism and other elements such as design, functionality, decoration and references to past eras through a variety of materials and forms. His sculptures, though diverse in terms of media and materials used, share a dialectic that underscores the abstraction of classical modernism while questioning its claim to validity and its aura as a work of art.

The selected works compose again an unique landscape of objects and architectural elements that reflect the narratives of modernity and minimalism and the role they play in contemporary society. This prompts us to question our own conceptions of ornamentation and the underlying complexities of our built environment.