Katina Bock, Nick Mauss - Resonance

The Espace Louis Vuitton München is proud to present Resonance, an exclusive exhibition connecting the works of German artist Katinka Bock and American artist Nick Mauss for the first time. This show forms part of the Hors-les-murs programme of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, which showcases holdings from the Collection at the Espaces Louis Vuitton in Tokyo, Munich, Venice, Beijing, Seoul and Osaka, carrying on the Fondation’s mission to reach a broader audience through international projects.

Katinka Bock has been exploring “togetherness” (l’être-ensemble) since the 2000s through sculptures, videos and installations that showcase the uniqueness of her chosen materials and the fragility of their coexistence. Her works consistently stem from an experience associated with a specific place, the physical and material conditions of which she probes while exploring their historical, political and social dimensions. Her research is formalised in modest materials, often rough or cheap-looking and chosen specifically for their physical properties, such as sand, clay, paper, stone, chalk, wood, water and metal. She often selects soft, flexible materials that she manipulates before exposing them to accidents or natural phenomena. By combining these materials with commonplace objects, such as straps, fabrics, trivets or tripods, Bock creates works that appear both robust and fragile, seemingly precariously balanced, as though they were about to tip over or break.

Nick Mauss has an expanding, multidisciplinary oeuvre based on drawing, a medium conducive to a direct expression of thought. He has been pursuing a hybridised work style that dovetails this art form with sculpture, performance, writing, poetry, video and even curation. Constantly reinventing the form, from abstraction to figuration, he produces poetic, dreamlike images that depict a perpetual state of indeterminacy through unfinished figures and ambiguous forms. In black or in colour, his lines may be slender and light, sketched or dotted, combined with projections of spots, splashes, hatched hues or wispy tints, all contrasted and layered to create fragmented silhouettes and indefinite patterns. Mauss deploys this formal repertoire by applying a variety of techniques on various media and surfaces, including ceramics and mirrored panels. These compositions, large or small, engage in an intense dialogue with the space, sometimes extending to the observers, who suddenly find themselves at the very centre of the work.

Both artists’ practices intriguingly parallel: they commonly draw inspiration from historicl and cultural contexts, exploring the past to inform their contemporary creations. Bock‘s sculptures reference natural elements and the passage of time, while Mauss incorporates historical art references and archival materials into his works. Technically, both are known for their experimental approaches: while Bock uses various materials, often allowing natural processes to influence the outcome, Mauss merges all his techniques to create immersive installations. Bock‘s and Mauss‘ works engage with the architecture of the space, creating a dialogue with the environment. In essence, they both challenge traditional boundaries of art, encouraging viewers to engage with their work on a sensory and intellectual level.