Boban Andjelkovic at Galerie Britta Rettberg

Artist: Boban Andjelkovic

Exhibition title: sie nennen es Paradies

Venue: Galerie Britta Rettberg, Munich, Germany

Date: April 28 – June 10, 2023

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Galerie Britta Rettberg, Munich

Note: Exhibition’s text is available here

Boban Andjelkovic explores the conditions of painting and its meaning as a contemporary medium. In his expressive, expansive works, he combines figurative elements with abstract compositions to reflect on personal experiences, phenomena of art history and pop culture, or current social issues.

For his second comprehensive solo exhibition at BRITTA RETTBERG, Boban Andjelkovic continues his intense exploration of portraiture in a multimedia installation. Characteristics of human physiognomy are taken out of context, stylized, and recombined as pictorial elements to create pictorial structures that follow an inner logic. The motifs are composed of stacks of figure fragments, geometric shapes, color structures, and gestural traces that form a multi-layered pictorial center and tense, dynamic balance. Assignments of “male” and “female” become blurred, as do the boundaries between portraits of others and self-portraits. As in numerous works by the artist, there are hints of an alter ego with attributes such as a cap, beard, cigarette, or paintbrush. The spontaneously emerging pictorial inventions, which Boban Andjelkovic varies in a serial approach, confront us with new kinds of realities with their own regularities and reflect the current reality of the artist’s life as well as everyday observations and external influences. Painting for Boban Andjelkovic always takes place beyond the boundaries of the picture, expanding it into the exhibition space or extending it in multimedia. In his latest works, the artist’s preoccupation with digital modes in the production process becomes visible. Animated digital images on screens interact with analog painting as Boban Andjelkovic mutually transfers aesthetics and formal strategies.

Boban Andjelkovic, sie nennen es Paradies, 2023, exhibition view, Galerie Britta Rettberg, Munich

Boban Andjelkovic, sie nennen es kleines Paradies, 2023, oil on wood, 70 x 50 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, Teardrops kiss my lips, 2023, oil on canvas, 180 x 130 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, sie nennen es Paradies, 2023, exhibition view, Galerie Britta Rettberg, Munich

Boban Andjelkovic, ohne Titel, 2023, oil and LED light on wood, 40 x 30 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, ohne Titel, 2023, aquarell, ink, pastel on arches paper, 119,5 x 84,5 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, Ein schönes Durcheinander, 2023, oil on canvas, 100 x 75 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, Golden vokuhila, 2023, oil on canvas, 100 x 75 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, Tic Tac oder Erkenntnis ohne Süßstoff, 2023, oil on canvas, 100 x 75 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, sie nennen es Paradies, 2023, exhibition view, Galerie Britta Rettberg, Munich

Boban Andjelkovic, sie nennen es Paradies, 2023, oil on canvas, 220 x 160 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, sie nennen es Paradies, 2023, exhibition view, Galerie Britta Rettberg, Munich

Boban Andjelkovic, In der Matrix schmeckt Wasser wie Wein, 2023, digital painting, animated, screen

Boban Andjelkovic, Der Eingang ist dort wo die Rosen wachsen, 2023, oil on canvas, 220 x 300 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, Ich bin mein eigner argster Feind, 2023, oil on wood, 70 x 50 cm

Boban Andjelkovic, sie nennen es Paradies, 2023, oil on canvas, 220 x 160 cm