Family Affairs

A Group exhibition by Jagoda Bednarsky, Dominika Bednarsky, Felix Kultau

“Colorful lights and dreamy hues of color shimmer from room to room, here and there, a ceramic horse‘s head or a glowing red light catches the attention. In the exhibition „Family Affairs“ by the artists Dominika Bednarsky, Jagoda Bednarsky, and Felix Kultau, three artistic perspectives come together, having developed in parallel over the years and are now being shown together for the first time at Salon Kennedy.

As all the artists are related and have a background in the cities of Frankfurt and Offenbach, the exhibition functions as a hub for subjective feelings, giving them space to flourish in the silver lining of banality. The ad hoc idea of presenting the artists‘ works together in a single space was not originally conceived with any kind of stringency of content or common concept, but rather with the urge to create a space for an unconscious gathering, picking up on a reference to the Christmas season that resonates with family gatherings and time spent together. The idea of the salon as an intimate moment acts in this context as a space of resonance compared to the classical gallery, allowing a certain interplay of lightness and tension. This translates into a moment of competition - sibling rivalry - as the works find themselves in each other‘s direct presence for the first time.

Although the works themselves were not created in response to each other, this open approach resulted in unplanned overlaps. Jagoda Bednarsky‘s surreal, dreamlike paintings include a rooster whose unconscious counterpart, a ceramic chicken covered in meatballs created by her sister Dominika Bednarsky, can be found sitting on a chair in the next room. As the exhibition continues, Felix Kultau‘s illuminated wall installation, referring to a breeding stallion, is just around the corner from Dominika Bednarsky‘s horse head. The exhibition can be understood as the creation of a sensual, visual and material threshold between three seemingly different experiences.

Despite all the differences, the inclusion of the factor of humour is present in all their artistic practices, with varying degrees of expression, creating a common moment. While Felix Kultau‘s approach is more satirical, creating grotesque moments because they are taken seriously, Jagoda Bednarsky‘s is hidden on a surreal-psychedelic meta-level, while Dominika Bednarsky uses the abstrusity of humour. Given that they are all related, one could argue that the humour still comes from the same source.

In essence, ‚Family Affairs‘ not only showcases a convergence of artistic perspectives but also invites to explore the intricate layers of familial connections, humour, and shared experiences woven into the intimate concept of exhibition space itself.”
by Emily Pretzsch

all images © Wolfgang Stahr