Olaf Nicolai
Yeux de Paon
Through his art installations, Olaf Nicolai has engaged in artistic research since the 1990s into the aesthetic relationship between nature and culture, its interferences, and the related associated processes of perception and their influences on our society. His multi-part textile work Yeux de Paon (Peacock Eyes) reveals his interest in using the decorative patterns typical of traditional ceramics from Bulgaria. He had the peacock-eye forms transferred to lengths of textile, with the newly created patterns ever-varying slightly. In this exhibition, Nicolai confronts the aesthetically highly appealing curtain with five stark projections on the history of the upholstery fabric weaving mill Gebrüder Goeritz, locating it in the context of culture, business, and politics in the 20th century.
The presentation on the relationship between artistic and industrial tradition, patronage and politics is conceived as a part of the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz.
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