Overline: Exhibition CB Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus

Headline: Sven Gatter: "Echo Tektur" - Ruins and Models

Artist Sven Gatter has been exploring the theme of vanishing architecture and dilapidated structures in rural areas since his residency at Brandenburg's Wiepersdorf Palace. He refers to the resulting works as "Echo Tektur". The series includes several groups of black-and-white and colour photographs depicting the ruins of abandoned brick farmsteads, pubs and hotels, small industrial and agricultural businesses, and their discarded inventories.

Gatter’s works portray his subject matter in fragments, making it impossible for viewers to locate the original objects and scenes. Instead, the form and order of their manifestations is brought to the fore.

The series also features images of architectural models and materials created at a training centre for skilled trades in Großräschen (Lower Lusatia) or in his own studio. According to Gatter, the juxtaposition of ruins and models forms a metaphor for the ambivalent phenomena that by necessity accompany transformation processes : Destruction and reinterpretation, existential threats and playful metamorphosis, frustration and delight. At the same time, he hopes that his work will provide space for viewers to consider the diverse issues arising in connection with the transformation of rural regions.

Brandenburg’s State Museum of Modern Art (BLMK) will show a selection of works from Sven Gatter's Echo Tektur series in this exhibition.

Find out more about the artist and his project in the blog post Structures in Transformation – Lusatia in Focus by IASS researcher Johannes Staemmler.