Manor Grunewald in conversation with Fakewhale

Fakewhale: How does manual intervention contribute to the uniqueness and texture of your works, and how does this relate to the use of older technologies like copiers?

There is a clear link between manual interventions into the work, like classical painting with oil paints and acrylics with brushes, and the copiers. I collect second-hand copiers that companies dispose of because they are more or less at the end of their life. This gives the machines their own patina on the duplicated and printed images—traces of mechanical wheels, ink feeders that are leaking, distortion issues, and other surprises that appear. The machines add an artistic value to the duplicated images. I see this similarly to my interventions in the studio with paint and intuitive decisions that are made during the process of working on multiple works at one time.

Fakewhale: How do the texture and surface of various materials integrate into your artistic work, influencing the perception of the printed image?

Playing with different materials can create an angle to read the work on another level. A print on a flat surface, such as paper, is more commonly read visually. I strive to develop a strong visual language that starts from those plain, flat reproductions. Choosing surfaces like commercial materials such as synthetic canvas, mesh fabrics, and cloth printing, in contrast to artistically related materials like linen canvas and cotton, enriches the texture. On the other hand, texture is created by incorporating oil paint, acrylics, varnish, and spray paint within the process of the work

Fakewhale: How do you manage the balance between controlled composition and the element of chance in your technical process?

Generally, I aim to achieve a certain level in my work that balances between the residue of former images or the idea of images that are still under construction. Most of the time, I start with collected source material from a wide range of books in the studio. These images are very clear to read visually. It is my role to transform them within my visual language by playing with them through copying, editing, scaling, scanning, and printing on canvas, among other techniques. There is a lot of chance involved in this process, which creates a curiosity towards my own handling of those pictures.

Fakewhale: Could you discuss how the collaboration with Theo De Meyer for the “Goods Between Floors” exhibition has influenced your perception and use of the exhibition space?

Theo De Meyer is a close friend of mine. He’s an architect and was formerly an assistant to Jan De Vylder at ETH Zurich. He has a keen interest in scenography interventions in close dialogue with contemporary artists. We’ve talked for a long time about collaborating on a project, but we never found the right context that would satisfy both of us. The project “Goods Between Floors” emerged at a perfect time, presenting an interesting space and opportunity for us to work on the exhibition together. I have worked with Berthold Pott (gallery) for seven years, and he was very enthusiastic about the idea of hosting the show at the gallery.

The exhibition was held in the former gallery space at An Der Schanz in Cologne, an old electricity facility from the 1970s with a wide-open exhibition space on the first floor and a storage space on the ground floor, semi-visually connected to each other—hence the title of the show “Goods Between Floors.”

The visual dialogue that was created led to a good back-and-forth progression with an interesting outcome in the end for both of us. It was fascinating to see how two-dimensional paintings, books, and documentation were integrated into a total installation within the space. Despite the abundance of works on display, the exhibition still felt like a very minimal visual intervention. Theo’s choice to work exclusively with metal tubes and translucent material was key to everything.

My reflections on this experience have led me to consider more complex total installations in the future. The ideal setting for such an endeavor would be an institutional show with different spaces and series of work in dialogue with Theo. This could be documented in a book that would serve as an essential part of the exhibition, rather than merely a simple catalogue.