Less Work for Mother

The works of Christian Hartard (b. Munich, 1977; lives and works in Munich) are sounding boards on which the marginal resonates. They bring ephemeral everyday phenomena into focus, making us conscious of them and lending them meaning. For Villa Stuck, the artist createda complex ensemble of objects, graphic and video art, and site-specific installations that revolve around motifs of absence and presence, showing and concealing. Ten works conceived specifically for the exhibition explore elemental experiences and emotions such as fear, powerlessness, and loss. The use of fragile and delicate substances and soft and viscous materials as well as the involvement of warmth, cold, electricity, and flows counteract the minimalism of the objects and endow them with a touching sensuality. A current-carrying curtain, viscid industrial wax, or gold dissolved in acid: these are reservoirs of energy and memories, spaces in which what is no longer present lingers. With a conversation between Florian Pumhoesl and Christian Hartard, a conversation between Verena Hein and Christian Hartard, and a preface by Michael Buhrs and Verena Hein.