ART CITIES:Milan-Salt,Sugar,Sex

Jorinde Voigt’s first solo exhibition in Milan and her second with Lisson Gallery features medium-to large-scale drawings and a new collaboration with Mads Dinesen, an influential young fashion designer based in Berlin, on a series of hand-painted and embroidered Things to Wear.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Lisson Gallery Archive

Voigt, who also lives and works in Berlin, creates significant and highly original drawn or painted abstract forms that are intricately interconnected by lines of text or movement. Her new series, carefully wrought in pastel, pencil and ink, is entitled “Salt,Sugar,Sex” and obliquely refers to the bodily functions that conspire to regulate our physiological production of these three important elements and hormones. As well as suggesting internal organs, Voigt’s drawings recall flower blooms or nerves connected by stems or branches, while plants themselves are similarly governed by biochemical reactions, involving the absorption of external stimulants and nutrients and the production of enzymes needed for cellular growth or change. Not only do Voigt’s works seem to function at a metabolic, almost molecular level, they also suggest wider, symbolic associations – the reds and blush pinks standing in for heat and energy, as well as having emotional resonance with passion. Just as nature, science and culture collide in Voigt’s frequent use of literary or scientific quotation alongside her drawn schema, so too do the oft-separated activities of philosophy and art, or thinking and doing. Voigt is also unveiling her first ever collaboration with a fashion designer, the Danish-born Mads Dinesen, who often imbues his innovative collections with artistic, spiritual and even political undertones.

Info: “Salt,Sugar,Sex”, Lisson Gallery, Via Zenale, 3 Milan, Duration:23/1-13/3/15, Days & Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:30-18:00, Closed: 13:00-15:00, www.lissongallery.com