Philipp PIeroth 

(Germany / South Africa)

Changing formations and the temporality of places In the gap between one and the other, the off-space between entities, the individual existence take its shape. Through the physical and metaphysical relation(ship) to the other we are in the world. To be our selfs we require that connection.

The overwhelming, non-stop connectivity between humans, experienced in daily life - be it private, public, analog or digital - challenges us in our individual position and at the same time demands from us to take a stand. It poses the question if we are able to form an adequate connection with the other at all. By sharing a same moment or by encounters in common places, we have the possibility to establish a link, to create sense for the other, exchange and build community. But if we let that moment pass, and only a superfcial relation of factual presence occurs, still we are, in that very moment we are present, surrounded by the same setting.

These social formations, personal interrelation, intimate affairs and environmental determinations are for me a subject of constant overthinking.

' In my work I focus on our being in the world, our Dasein as connected entity, as part of a larger structure. I work starting from the spatial surrounding, towards the canvas. Images are formed through a constant negotiation of form, line and color, shifting position, led by perceptive changes - sound, vision, emotions - within the workspace, being part of the framework. The canvas is build up layer by layer, every layer leaving traces in time and space. In my works I absorb the stages of transformation and include former references - by re-using surfaces like utensils or buildings -, to question established relations, create new ones, and research the connection of things. The public space is for me also part of this broad interpretation of canvas. I create works in different cities, situating murals on private and public buildings. Working on the streets, I perform within that specifc local context (the political, social and cultural settings). Having moments of interaction with passersby or neighbors and being confronted with the viewer during the creation process the painting transforms into a piece of mutual communication. '