Slippery Slope, or: The Onomatopoeia of Things. The alternative title of the show suggests that visitors to the exhibition can almost hear Anna Nero's works - because her art works, which depict exclusively objective forms, are this accentuated and rich in color. Nero manages to capture the viewer's gaze with her keen sense of delightful surfaces, materiality and illusionistic materiality. Driven by a passion for the artificial and a delight in exaggeration, the artist creates frivolous, playful paintings and ceramic objects. Anna Nero studied at the Kunsthochschule Mainz, the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig and was a master student of Heribert C. Ottersbach. She was a lecturer at the Mainz Art Academy until 2020 and has already been awarded numerous scholarships and residencies.
With CONNECT Leipzig, the MdbK has been opening its doors to upcoming artists since 2018, offering them the opportunity to present themselves in the Zündkerzen-Hof on the ground floor of the MdbK every five weeks.
CONNECT Leipzig #1 took place with great success from 14 March 2018 to 24 March 2019. A total of ten artists were able to realise their first institutional solo exhibition. The MdbK is continuing this extraordinary exhibition format as a biennial.
With CONNECT Leipzig #2, eight artists will have the opportunity to present themselves in the museum with a solo exhibition. The exhibition space is the Zündkerzenhof with 160 square metres of floor space on the ground floor - accessible free of charge.
Artists from the genres of painting, photography, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, installation, media art and performance are eligible to apply. Applicants must not be older than 32 and must have an artistic connection to Leipzig.
The jury - Rita Kersting (Deputy Director, Museum Ludwig Cologne), Sarah Merten, (Curator Contemporary Art, Kunstmuseum Bern), Benno Tempel (Director, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag) and Marcus Andrew Hurttig (Curator MdbK) - nominated the following positions for CONNECT Leipzig #2 from over 120 applications:
Eric Swars. 2020 / photography
Johanna Terhechte. 12:01 / video
Isabell Schulte. part I-VII / drawing
Matthias Garff. Gartenvögel / sculpture
Felicitas Faessler / installation, sculpture
Oscar Lebeck / photography
Felix Amerbacher / installation, sculpture
Anna Nero / painting
CONNECT Leipzig #2 is supported by the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen (This measure is co-financed by tax funds on the base of the budget passed by the members of the Saxon State Parliament) and BMW Niederlassung Leipzig, Alte Messe.
A catalogue documents all 10 exhibitions in the first series of CONNECT Leipzig. The volume with 140 pages and numerous illustrations is available at the museum box office for € 15,70.
And you can find an overview of CONNECT Leipzig #1 here...
