Jana Euler’s show at Galerie Neu in Berlin sets out its stall with the title “‘Female Jesus Crying in Public’ in a New Exhibition”.This is a collection of paintings which examines the formation of the artist’s identity as well as the representation of women in art.Many of the paintings are directly related to Euler’s personal experiences. For example, “Badewanne I & II” (oil on canvas, 2013) represents the bathtub in her parent’s house. Other pieces have a more abstract character. “In the perspective of the screwed 2” (oil on canvas, 2015) depicts a world dissolving into metallic swirls. The screw at the center of the work seems to arrest the movement of the paint and keep the painting in its place on the wall.The titular “Female Jesus crying in public” (oil on canvas, 2015) presents a crucified naked female figure that sheds massive tears, surrounded by portraits of men. The grotesque, twisted body of the ‘female Jesus’ is a pastiche of the macabre Gothic iconography, traditionally overemphasizing Christ’s suffering. Euler draws attention to the place that women occupy in the public space. She upstages the traditional patriarchal conventions, at the same time asserting her vision of femininity as unapologetic and boisterous.Euler plays with the visitors’ expectations, populating her canvas with deeply personal imagery, creating a web of symbols. The space of the gallery is filled with airplane seats, which are in turn reproduced in paintings “Cockpit” and “Cabin” (oil on canvas, 2015). The arrangement of seats resembles a theatre. The viewer is left wondering about the overarching theme of the spectacle in front of his eyes – the variety of the themes dealt with by Euler seem to form a record of a personal development as a painter.“‘Female Jesus crying in public’ in einer neuen Ausstellung” (in a new exhibition) runs at Galerie Neu through February 3, 2016.
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