An exhibition of the work of Berlin based Barbara Eitels work and mine, curated by the Frankfurt based artist and curator Jörg Ahrnt, held in Galleri ArteGiani in Frankfurt Germany.

Visually the premise of this exhibition was a challenge, it was a bold juxtaposition to put together works by different artists that all consist of large areas of ornaments. The immediate impression was interestingly overwhelming. Eitels work and mine overlap in scope, but there are also fundamental differences, this exhibition sought to highlight and define these.

For this exhibition I presented some of my most recent research. In the last couple of years my interest in studying and referencing all kinds of expensive elaborate, and ornamental objects has focused on high fashion and haute couture. Looking at the haute couture work of fashion designers such as Dolce and Gabana, Alexander McQueen and Dries Van Noten who produce garments that are comparable to Persian carpets or Chinese vases in their elaborateness and their costliness has allowed me to introduce human figures into my paintings, and with that a narrative element . In this body of work I am mainly exploring how it is visually and practically possible to combine the intense optical values of ornament whilst at the same time beginning to deal with narrative. Some of the characters that I have depicted in this exhibition are based on actual persons, and some are loosely based on observations, particularly at art events such as Frieze art fair and various gallery openings. In this work I am beginning to draw parallels between paintings as status symbols, clothes, jewelry and other objects as such. There is of course something paradoxical about the cynical implications and the exuberant visual expression in this project – this paradox is an important part of the questions this research seeks to address.