“Imago”: Under this exhibition theme von Haefen is presenting current works in the Grunewald Gallery Villa Köppe
„Imago“ (pl.: imagines): This Latin expression stands for
1.) (psychologically) an (idealised) picture of another person in the context of his/her social surroundings, existing in the subconciousness
2.) (biologically) a fully grown adult insect, having reached sexual maturity
3.) (in ancient Rome) a waxen ancestorial death mask, put up on display in the courtyard of one‘s house.
„Imago“: The exhibitions title and its inherent 3 semantic levels of meaning excellently emphasize the contentual direction of von Haefens current works.
In this context all the works -including large-sized acrylic and and small-sized gouache- show people, mainly inspired by the „mask“-wearing idols, shown to us in everyday media.
The pictures hereby also show the current theme of the gradual progression of the dissolution of rigidly defined gender roles. They play on idolized transfigurations, that they themselves become icons.
Von Haefens works capture through their ambivalence. The shine, the glamour and the smoothness of their media counterparts are being tilted and reversed into something melancholic, looming and aggressive. Illusion becomes reality. The screens surface with its play of opposites becomes a fascinating arena of occurences: Volume vs. flatness, hollowness vs. materiality, lines vs. layers of colours, simplification vs. detail magnification.
Von Haefen is working controlled and conservatively- with a great and persuading sense for the current themes of our time.
Dr. Heike Welzel-Philipp (art historian), 2014
