Experiments V · 4+8 – Traces Julien Hübsch
24 August 2023
Experiments V · 4+8: Julien Hübsch
A lilac, geometrically cut piece of Styrofoam cut through by large rusty nails that leave brownish-orange traces on the insulation material. Next to it and below it, pastel yellow and pure white pieces of the same material, which are also held together by nails and, in interaction with a piece of wallpaper, form a high-contrast composition of geometric and organically curved individual parts. Due to their heterogeneous materiality, these seem to contradict the homogeneity of the soft, almost sweet-looking colors. The shaping of the individual Styrofoam pieces is at times strictly geometrically cut, at other times again in a naturally broken state. Nothing seems to be left to chance. The contrast between the materials, which at first seem to be associated with construction sites or renovation work, and the delicate colors leaves us as viewers with the question of what the deliberately intended composition of the individual parts, which seem to have a certain found character, evoke as an overall composition. The described assemblage pink_5, which belongs to the exhibited series of works pink_ones, was created by the artist Julien Hübsch (*1995), who studied in Shannon Bool’s ‘Expanded Painting’ class at the Kunsthochschule Mainz and graduated in July 2023.
In his artistic work he deals with urban spaces and the urban landscape that has been changed by man. In doing so he assigns himself to the ‘Post-Vandalism’ art movement. For Julien Hübsch it is often man-made traces of the everyday that arouse his interest. The attraction for him is to translate what he sees into his works in an abstracted form and, as a result, to observe what aesthetically remains as the end result as soon as any codes of the remaining environment of said ‘everyday trace’ are removed.
Beginning with painting in the class of Sven Kroner at the Bauhaus University Weimar, Hübsch studied at the Kunsthochschule Mainz since 2018. In 2022, he also gained experience at the Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts. The exhibited works pink_ones were also created during this creative phase. The series of works was created from insulation material left over from a warehouse clearance at the Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig. In his work, Hübsch places these materials in a different context, allowing them to return to the art scene with an altered ambition, isolated from their own environment. In pink_ones it becomes clear what is true for most of his works: the material dominates his artistic work and serves as a starting point for conception.
Luzia Reis & Hannah Zöller
I am interested in dealing with vandalism and similar traces, how they are perceived, where they appear, which traces remain, which are removed.
Julien Hübsch
For our video of the week, Dr. Dorothea van der Koelen
met with Julien
Hübsch for an artist talk in the exhibition space.
In it, the artist from Luxemburg talks about the
inspiration for his art and what drives his creative work.
In addition, next Sunday, August 27, 2023, at 12 p.m.,there will be a public artist talk with Julien Hübsch at Cadoro – Center for Art and Science in Mainz. We cordially invite all art lovers to attend the event, meet the artist in person and ask their own questions.
