20.8.–26.9.09

In her drawings Raffaella Chiara is using a vast repertoire of motives, which is constantly oscillating between concreteness and abstraction. At times the shapes appear clearly constructed, at times they look unformed or even organically grown. Sometimes the pencil line is fine and definite, sometimes thick and frayed. The artist knows how to inspire her drawings with individuality by means of a special pencil stroke. The works are mostly designed with “vector like” lines, whose patterns are interweaving, resolving in “cloud like” sculptural images. In recent times the motives have been growing out of the color collage pictures, resulting in an exciting continuance of an episode taken from a magazine or a book.

The focus on space seems to be the most important issue in all of Raffaella Chaira`s works. Different architectural systems are being mingled on the sheets with organic and mineral structures. Although created without the computer, they strongly remind the spectator of CAD generated architectural studies or of three dimensional map models. The fracture to known nature studies reveal themselves at second sight only: mountains or monuments are standing on tables or on shaky stands, forests are growing out of caves, islands are floating in space. Although the titles of the works or certain structures remind one of ‹civilization›, human beings do not appear in the works.

The often surreal compositions are peppered with hidden contents. Again and again the artist succeeds in amazing the spectator by inventing a whole universe with the aid of a few pencil lines. Delightful worlds of thought are being visualized with the aid of pencil- and color lines or a subtle coloration. Chiara is a storyteller, driven by the wish to establish new connections and using this re-contextualization to engage actively in the recent discourse of drawings.

The title of the exhibition ‹The door is ajar› is evocative of the transition situation of a door. The interior lying on one side, then the door itself and the exterior on the other side. Depending on the point of view one would like to be able to have a look at the other side. The door metaphorically acts as an eye, as well as a mirror, which reflects one’s own sight. Raffaella Chiara`s door is just ajar- you are welcome to open it and have a look inside yourself.

Bernhard Bischoff, August 2009

Translation: Patsy Kornfeld