Nr 22 2020

Curator: This fascinating piece is "Nr 22," created in 2020 by Armin Andreas Pangerl. It's primarily an ink and drawing on what seems to be paper. Editor: My first impression is that it resembles an entry from a personal sketchbook, perhaps an exploration of abstract ideas and daily musings rendered in ink and hand lettering. The tight, all-over composition really draws the eye. Curator: That's insightful. Analyzing it through the lens of social history, sketchbooks serve as vital spaces of free expression, places where artists reflect the zeitgeist or challenge it. The intimate nature of this work positions it in direct contrast to much art made for the gallery system. Editor: Exactly! And given contemporary theory's focus on the deconstruction of hierarchies, that idea of "personal" takes on weight. Whose musings are considered worthwhile? Who has the access to materials? I am always thinking of accessibility, agency, power… Curator: Certainly. Looking closer, the linear style, along with what looks to be free writing surrounding various renderings in the drawing, suggests the artist is focused on idea generation, maybe sketching potential architectural forms or diagrams, a practice used frequently by various creators to formulate plans for building. The text appears to be largely in German. Do you find it lends some social context to the artwork? Editor: I agree, and while I cannot translate the German text in particular, the act of writing itself certainly carries social weight—intellectual weight. This work invites consideration of art-making, the artist, and even us as the viewers as active meaning-makers. Curator: In its totality, "Nr 22" is like a historical record of an interior thought process, reflecting the intellectual and creative environment of its time, in all its complexities. Editor: For me, it emphasizes art as an intellectual journey, a diary of creative ideas that sparks a discussion about the power structures within art, encouraging the artist and audience to push back on it.