Haus am Lützowplatz presents „Meme Me“, the first institutional solo exhibition by Berlin-based artist Zohar Fraiman (*1987 in Jerusalem, Israel). With great painterly skill, she depicts the absurdities of our well-paced lives and their dependence on digital devices. Her large-format, candy-coloured paintings, which tellingly bear titles such as „Split Me Baby, One More Time“ or „Clock, Work, Orange“ (both 2022), function like memes that present a new popular culture of snippets, references and copies beneath the surface of supposed nonsense.

By exploring the images of digital communication through painting, of all things, she gives new impetus to one of the oldest genres in art history. She composes multi-headed and multi-armed figures from social media motifs, adverts, art historical references and film stills, which sometimes appear as if the camera had failed at the moment of shooting, so that several images have been superimposed or a photo has been exposed for a long time. As a result, the people depicted cannot be clearly categorised into conventional gender stereotypes and identities. They are glittered fantasy figures that cause moments of irritation when the sampled model is recognised: Doesn’t the figure come from an old master painting? Doesn’t the female figure remind me of Botticelli’s Primavera or Britney Spears?

We are immersed in the colourful world of pop culture, in which iconic characters from Disney films sit opposite pop stars who stare glumly into their smartphones and hold up a mirror to us.

For the first time in the exhibition, two room-sized installations by the artist will be shown in addition to the paintings, inviting visitors to become part of the artworks themselves.

Further events:
June 27, 2024, 7 pm: Talk „Meme, Myself and I” with Julia Meyer-Brehm