michel war dankbar um ein wenig aufmerksamkeit 2016

Malte Sonnenfeld’s painting, "michel war dankbar um ein wenig aufmerksamkeit" uses acrylic on canvas to create an image of surveillance and the state. It is painted in muted, almost faded colors, with figures outlined in black. The artist’s hand seems pretty visible here, right? I can picture Malte layering washes of color, building up the image slowly, and then defining the image with a strong, dark outline. Maybe there was a change of heart along the way, some pushing and pulling, and then finally a kind of acceptance of what emerged? The image conjures Uncle Sam, the all-American figure of patriotism. But here he’s peering through binoculars, under the watchful eye of security cameras and satellite dishes. I wonder if Malte thought about how easily patriotism can become surveillance? The painting could be about power, observation, and maybe even a little bit about the desire to be noticed. It sits within a long tradition of image making in painting that is constantly being reinvented by artists today.