True Colors at Trautwein Herleth

Artists: Olga Balema, Ebb Bayley, Edith Deyerling, Peter Fend, Mickael Marman, Henrik Olesen, Susanne Paesler, Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo)

Exhibition title: True Colors

Venue: Trautwein Herleth, Berlin, Germany

Date: June 22 – July 27, 2024

Photography: Courtesy of the artists and Trautwein Herleth, Berlin

The exhibition True Colors comprises works by Olga Balema, Ebb Bayley, Edith Deyerling, Peter Fend, Mickael Marman, Henrik Olesen, Susanne Paesler, and Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo).

Color is thought of as a foundational element of art, but the observation of color is not usually considered so subjectively – a red painting is a red painting. Although, obviously, this is not exactly true. In the early 1800s, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe set out to record his views on the nature of colors and how they are perceived. The result is a collection of observations and experiments that do not explain or theorize, but point towards the subjectivity of perception. His writings alternate between scientific and mystic. Wittgenstein said, “I believe that what Goethe was really seeking was not a physiological but a psychological theory of colors.”

The artworks collected here use color psychologically. Some as a foil or means of misdirection, others to challenge the perception of their audience, and others as alternative forms of identification or representation.