Residency
Katharina Arndt
The focus of her artistic work (painting, drawing, neon writing) is the observation of digital communication behavior and the visualization of the aesthetics of mass consumption in the digital age. For her, the symbol of this is the topic of ‘surface’ socially, cult urally, materially. In the hyperreal and at the same time immaterial online world, the visual appearance alone dominates us and the products that we are supposed to buy Every day we stroke the shiny screen of our smartphone countless times, the bodies are hairless, the corners are round, the sunglasses are mirrored. The smooth appears as a metaphor for lack of resistance, eternal youth, as artificial, uncritical, superficial, conformist. In tension with this is the individual, his feelings, his behavior.
She transfers this theme formally and in terms of content to painting. She works on artificial supports such as PVC foil, varnished paper and plexiglass with glossy acrylic paint and varnish pens. Fast, reduced, almost childlike, motifs and medium function as an artistic mirror of the quantity and speed of perceived scenes. The figures in her pictures often wear sunglasses, are glued to their mobile phones, and have headphones on. They are socially highly active and at the same time socially isolated.
She sees her works as psychograms of a positivistic consumer society that tries to escape from its own transience.
Katharina Arndt working in her flat in Chania during her stay for the RedD Art Residency.
While staying in Chania we managed to take Katharina Arndt to some of our favourite spots in Chania. During the first week the weather was a bit off so we spent time in the Old Town and showed her some of our favourite graffitis and alleys; we had brunch on the Venetian Harbour; had some drinks in some of our favourite local bars and meals at some of our favourite restaurants. We managed to visit two beached the first week, Elafonisi (aka the pink sand beach) and Stavros beach where she drew inspiration to created some fantastic works; in fact one of the large scale paintings that will be shown in our space during her solo show will be depicting our road trip through all the mountains and narrow tunnels to Elafonisi (goats and all).
D:uring her second week the we went to more restaurants, that is where Katharina discovered Greeks obsession with good food. We also managed another road trip to one of our favourite villages in the South of Crete, Paleochora. There we spent the morning at the fabulous Gialiskari beach, in order to drive to this beach we passed through a Rocky Mountain side and between large rocks! Whilst we were in the village we visited a popular restaurant in the mountains, had cocktails at the most famous bar in the area and watched the sunset at Pahia Ammos beach whilst listening to Bueno Vista Social Club. That second week we also visited a highly credited gourmet restaurant a short drive outside the city centre where they served us tasty aperitif and stunningly creative dishes.
Mattia Novello
Our first artist in residency Mattia Novello visits us from Castelfranco VeNeto, Italy. During his time in Chania he is preparing his canvases and creating new works inspired by his time spent in Chania Crete.
Mattia Novello was born in Vicenza, Italy in 1985.
He graduate d in visual communication at the European Design Institute in Milan, then in fashion photographyat the School of Visual Art in New York and in Mixed Media Art at the Parsons School in New York. After spending part of his first career in New York, he now lives and works in Italy.
Novello’s works have been exhibited in New York, Copenhagen, Palm Beach, Prague, Miami, London, Chicago, Greece, Milan, Torino, Napoli, and in international art fairs like “Art Palm Beach”, “Art Miami”, “Art Nordic”, “London Art Fair”, and “Art New York”.
Mattia Novello creating his latest round painting in the RedD Gallery. Polaroids by Denia Kazakou. Photo by Andreas Markakis.
As part of our new Art Residency Program at the RedD Gallery we showed Mattia Novello around Chania, making sure he got the full local experience. He staying in our accommodation in the heart of the Old Town of Chania, ate at some of town favourite restaurants, enjoyed a walking tour of the Old Town and New Town as well as up and coming developing neighbourhoods in Halepa and Tabakaria. We visited the new Archeological Museum of Chania, had coffee with the locals, and also had a beach day at Marathi Beach in Akrotiri.