Fragility and loneliness, melancholy and grief. These are a few themes brushed upon by artist Louise Bonnet’s latest solo exhibition, 'Reversal of Fortune', at Galerie Max Hetzler in Berlin. In her renowned style, depicting fluid emotions encased within the human form, she explores the notion of falling and the emotions of a turning point or downfall.
Louise Bonnet presents 'Reversal of Fortune'
Louise Bonnet, Delos 2, 2024 oil on linen
On a series of linen and paper, the viewer can see female figures beyond the picture frame, positioned slipping off beds and other furnishings in a descent into the unknown. As Bonnet elaborates, ‘I thought that falling, which betrays us as absolutely human – our bodies slipping from an ordained position, failing to perform an expected pose or an expected role – could therefore be a form of passive resistance, a way to show complete humanity in the face of what is being expected by the world or ourselves.’
Louise Bonnet, Asteria Pink, 2024, oil on linen
Bonnet’s technique nods towards Dutch 16th-century painting as she layers oil paints on a linen canvas with depth and tonality. Her work is dramatic, with figures falling headfirst and limbs resting at uncomfortable angles. Some faces are distorted, features blended together as they hit a hard surface, referencing the fragility of human existence. Others have charming smiles, somewhat gleeful and accepting of the fate that is bestowed upon them.
Louise Bonnet, Odalisque 1, 2024, oil on linen (framed)
The figures are deeply rooted in art historical references, and are composed to be unintrusively observed and not objectified; they live in a world inside the painting, stuck within the frame. For the observant viewer, Bonnet’s symbolism hints at a secret message to unscramble. Begonia, irises, and dahlias signify warning, danger and instability. In each composition, the cooling colours and curved bodies spark an emotional language, a narrative to be felt rather than told.
Louise Bonnet, 'Reversal of Fortune' is on display at Galerie Max Hetzler, Potsdamer Straße 77–87, 10785 Berlin, until 18 January 2025
Louise Bonnet, Asteria Red, 2024, oil on linen
Louise Bonnet Asteria Gold, 2024 oil on linen
-
The wait is over: Matthieu Blazy is Chanel’s new creative directorMatthieu Blazy has been appointed as the new artistic director at Chanel, after a critically lauded and commercially successful tenure as creative director of Bottega Veneta
-
Alaïa’s secret new London café and bookstore is inspired by the art of hostingHoused on the third floor of Alaïa’s London flagship, the intimate space – inspired by Azzedine Alaïa’s famed hospitality – includes a Violet Cakes bakery and a bookstore by Claire de Rouen
-
Is it really possible to stage a Shakespeare play inside the game Grand Theft Auto?Grand Theft Hamlet, a documentary debut written and directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, is about two out-of-work actors attempting to mount a full production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, inside the violent world of Grand Theft Auto, shot entirely in game
-
Inside E-WERK Luckenwalde’s ‘Tell Them I Said No’, an art festival at Berlin's former power stationE-WERK Luckenwalde’s two-day art festival was an eclectic mix of performance, workshops, and discussion. Will Jennings reports
-
Alexandra Pirici’s action performance in Berlin is playfully abstract with a desire to address urgent political questionsArtist and choreographer Alexandra Pirici transforms the historic hall of Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof into a live action performance and site-specific installation
-
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s angels without faces touch down in Venice churchBelgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere’s recent archangel sculptures occupy the 16th-century white marble Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore for the Venice Biennale 2024
-
Lawrence Lek’s depressed self-driving cars offer a glimpse of an AI future in BerlinLawrence Lek’s installation ‘NOX’, created with LAS Art Foundation, takes over Berlin’s abandoned Kranzler Eck shopping centre
-
Ryoji Ikeda and Grönlund-Nisunen saturate Berlin gallery in sound, vision and visceral sensationAt Esther Schipper gallery Berlin, artists Ryoji Ikeda and Grönlund-Nisunen draw on the elemental forces of sound and light in a meditative and disorienting joint exhibition
-
Monica Bonvicini ‘I do You’ review: bondage, mirrors and feminist takes on masculine architectureEmily McDermott reviews Monica Bonvicini’s much-anticipated exhibition ‘I do You’ at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie
-
Artist Ian Cheng explores the technological and aesthetic potential of AIIn Berlin’s cavernous Halle am Berghain, New York-based artist Ian Cheng plunges viewers into an immersive world of AI and existential anime in ‘Life After BOB’
-
12th Berlin Biennale review: a fiercely political exploration of reparation and modern angstAs the Berlin Art Week festivities enter full swing (14-18 September) it's the last chance to see the 12th Berlin Biennale curated by Kader Attia. It tells a poignant, sometimes-crushing story of globally interconnected histories and the angst of modernity
