Hardy Langer – Shining

The gallery is proud to present "Shining", the first solo show by Schorndorf-based artist Hardy Langer. On display are paintings of human and animal lone warriors and wintery landscapes. Marko Schacher will introduce the presentation at the vernissage on November 8, 7 pm.

Hardy Langer (born in 1957 in Urbach near Schorndorf, lives in Schorndorf) is a great storyteller. His protagonists wear octopuses like hats on their heads and fish like beards in front of their faces. Theatrically, almost supernaturally illuminated houses and landscapes, dogs and wolves in front of modern, sparkling glass villas and people on surreally illuminated highway bridges, playgrounds and icy surfaces are reminiscent of daydream fantasies, but could also be signposts to the future. Langer's works show "conceivable realities" (title of the catalog), possible realities of a world around us that has fallen apart at the seams.

The exhibition title "Shining" refers to the magical radiance and glow of the scenes on display, which are often painted on canvas with bright acrylic and oil paints and are sometimes reminiscent of images taken by thermal imaging cameras. When reading the title, many probably also have scenes from the 1980 horror film "The Shining" starring Jack Nicholson in mind. In it, Stanley Kubrick shows how a family slowly descends into madness. Behind the supposed beauty of Langer's paintings, the uncanny, absurd and dangerous can be felt. The artist draws his inspiration from travel, magazines, the Internet, television, concerts and books.

The individual elements of the painted scenes often do not fit together: Who really makes a campfire when they are sitting in a small wooden boat? Sporty ice skaters are apparently doing their laps between the shacks of an Indian slum. A merry-go-round turns as a pale skeleton in bombarded Beirut, but reveals all its potential radiance and joy as a reflection in the water.

Hardy Langer's paintings are full of loners - in battle with the forces of nature, society or themselves. When several people appear on his picture stages, they still don't seem to want or be able to share much with each other. Nevertheless, his works exude a positive mood, a general confidence that we can change the bizarre situations if we join forces and really want to.