BREACH GALLERY PRESENTS “CELESTICORE”, A GROUP EXHIBITION CURATED BY DUTCH ARTIST, RALF KOKKE. THE SHOW WILL FEATURE WORK FROM MICKEY MASON, RALF KOKKE, TANJA RITTERBEX, AND JULIUS HOFMANN. THE EXHIBITION IS A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF STORYTELLING AND THE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES OF THE HUMAN IMAGINATION. DRAWING UPON THE ARCHAIC AND UNIVERSAL THEMES OF PARADISE, NATURE, AND THE HARMONIOUS COEXISTENCE OF HUMANS, ANIMALS, AND THE DIVINE, THE ARTISTS IN THIS SHOW TRANSPORT THE VIEWER TO A DREAMLAND OF DEEPLY PERSONAL YET UNIVERSAL NARRATIVES.

ONE OF THE ARTISTS FEATURED IN THE EXHIBITION IS MICKEY MASON. MASON IS A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ARTIST WHO CREATES WORKS THAT ARE FUN, LOUD, AND CAMPY. DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, OLD HOLLYWOOD MOVIES, AND ADVENTURE LITERATURE, MASON’S PAINTINGS EMBODY VIVID COLORS AND UNIQUE TEXTURES TO PRODUCE SURREAL YET FAMILIAR WORKS. HIS NARRATIVES ARE CENTERED AROUND A FANTASY WORLD WHERE BAD GUYS RUN RAMPANT, UFO SIGHTINGS ARE A COMMON OCCURRENCE, AND EVERYONE SEEMS TO SMOKE.

RALF KOKKE’S PAINTINGS, ON THE OTHER HAND, EMBODY TIMELESS THEMES OF PARADISE, NATURE, AND THE HARMONIOUS COEXISTENCE OF HUMANS, ANIMALS, AND THE DIVINE. INSPIRED BY FAIRY TALES SUCH AS PETER PAN, PINOCCHIO, AND SLEEPING BEAUTY, KOKKE CAPTURES THE SENSE OF WONDER AND INNOCENCE THAT IS SO OFTEN LOST IN ADULTHOOD. THROUGH HIS USE OF UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS AND THEMES, KOKKE INVITES VIEWERS TO REDISCOVER THE WORLD THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD AND TO BE TRANSPORTED TO A PLACE WHERE DREAMS AND REALITY COEXIST IN PERFECT HARMONY.

ANOTHER ARTIST SHOWCASED IN “CELESTICORE” IS TANJA RITTERBEX, A DUTCH ARTIST RESIDING IN BERLIN. RITTERBEX’S WORK DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM HER DAILY LIFE, ESPECIALLY HER EXPERIENCES AS A MOTHER TO HER DAUGHTER FRIDA. HER PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, INSTALLATIONS, VIDEOS, AND PERFORMANCES CREATE VIVID AND DETAILED SCENES THAT EXPLORE THE COMPLEX AND LOVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTHER AND CHILD. RITTERBEX’S ART IS CHARACTERIZED BY HER VIBRANT USE OF COLORS, PATTERNS, AND EVERYDAY OBJECTS, WHICH COME TOGETHER TO CONSTRUCT BEAUTIFUL AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING PORTRAITS AND STILL-LIFES.

JULIUS HOFMANN’S PAINTINGS FOCUS ON COMMUNICATING IDEAS THAT ARE UNIVERSAL AND TIMELESS, YET GROUNDED IN THE “NOW.” HOFMANN DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES, INCLUDING THE AESTHETICS OF EARLY CGI AND VIDEO GAMES, PRE-WORLD WAR II PAINTING MOVEMENTS LIKE NEUE SACHLICHKEIT, CUBISM, AND FIGURATIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM. THROUGH HIS PAINTINGS, HOFMANN SEEKS TO SYNTHESIZE THE OLDEST MEDIUM OF HUMAN HISTORY WITH THE NEWEST TECHNOLOGY, WHILE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING THE POWER OF AI-GENERATED IMAGES AND THEIR POTENTIAL TO SURPASS HUMAN CRAFTSMANSHIP.

THE DIVERSE RANGE OF ARTISTS IN “CELESTICORE” MAY DIFFER IN THEIR APPROACHES AND INSPIRATIONS, BUT THEY ARE UNITED BY THEIR ABILITY TO TRANSPORT VIEWERS TO NEW WORLDS AND PERSPECTIVES. THE TITLE “CELESTICORE” SERVES AS A REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF STORYTELLING AND THE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES OF THE HUMAN IMAGINATION. THE TITLE OF THE EXHIBITION IS A PLAY ON WORDS THAT MERGES “CELESTIAL” AND “CORE.” “CELESTIAL” REFERS TO THE HEAVENS OR SOMETHING THAT IS DIVINE OR OTHERWORLDLY, WHILE “CORE” REFERS TO THE CENTRAL ESSENCE OF SOMETHING. BY COMBINING THESE TWO WORDS, THE TITLE HINTS AT THE OTHERWORLDLY NATURE OF THE PAINTINGS ON DISPLAY WHILE EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF STORYTELLING AS THE CORE ESSENCE OF THE EXHIBITION.

RALF KOKKE, THE CURATOR OF THE EXHIBITION, HAS HAD EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE ORGANIZING EXHIBITIONS WITH HIS OWN GALLERY TINIMINI ROOM (2022) AND CO-FOUNDING AN ARTIST-RUN PROJECT IN ANTWERP CALLED SHOWHOUSE JAYJAY (2018-2021). KOKKE IS NOT ONLY A PAINTER AND CURATES A LOT OF SHOWS, BUT IS ALSO A BIG PROMOTER OF YOUNG UNDISCOVERED PAINTERS, ACTIVELY WORKING TOGETHER WITH GALLERIES AND AGENCIES AROUND THE WORLD.

THE EXHIBITION ‘CELESTICORE’ PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR VIEWERS TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN THE BOUNDLESS WORLD OF IMAGINATION AND STORYTELLING. THROUGH THE WORKS OF ARTISTS IN THIS GROUP SHOW THE EXHIBITION INVITES VIEWERS TO EXPLORE THE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES OF THE HUMAN IMAGINATION AND TO DISCOVER NEW PERSPECTIVES ON TIMELESS THEMES SUCH AS PARADISE, NATURE, AND THE HARMONIOUS COEXISTENCE OF HUMANS, ANIMALS, AND THE DIVINE. OVERALL, “CELESTICORE” IS A CELEBRATION OF THE POWER OF ART TO TRANSPORT AND TRANSFORM, OFFERING A GLIMPSE INTO THE INNER WORLDS OF ITS ARTISTS AND INSPIRING VIEWERS TO REDISCOVER THEIR OWN SENSE OF WONDER AND IMAGINATION.