Nr 8 2020

Editor: So, this is "Nr 8," a drawing from 2020 by Armin Andreas Pangerl. It looks like it's made with ink, graphite, and maybe some colored pencil on paper. I’m immediately drawn to how the text seems to weave in and around these geometric shapes. What do you see in this piece? Curator: For me, it's the active layering of materials that speaks volumes. The artist's choice to combine ink, graphite, and the underlying paper support, all common yet distinct materials, directly confronts the historical separation between "high" art and everyday craft. The scribbled text and precise geometric forms also seem at odds, yet unified on this page. Editor: That’s a good point. I was focusing on the content of the drawing itself, but now I see that even the *way* it was made conveys something. Curator: Exactly. Consider the act of 'drawing' itself. Graphite, ink - these materials are readily available, cheap even. This challenges traditional notions of artistic genius tied to expensive materials like oil paint or bronze. And what about the process? Is this spontaneous, a stream of consciousness laid bare, or meticulously planned? Look closer, can you tell? Editor: Hmmm, the geometry looks carefully planned with some imperfectly hand-drawn lettering which feels like a raw data dump from his stream of conciousness, the dates are strategically placed. So I would guess a balance of both... planned and sponteneous. Curator: I agree. The material tells a story about production and labor too, right? The creation of marks that speak on a material level while attempting some representational image. Consider the means through which most people consume images. Everything here is the antithesis of digital production. The Artist’s hand has produced these geometric symbols out of tangible matter, they did not just select a vector tool from a software’s menu and drop them into the scene. Editor: This has really shifted my perspective! It's not just about what the image depicts, but the story behind its creation and its physical existence as well. Curator: Precisely. By examining the materials and process, we move beyond aesthetic appreciation and towards understanding the social context and labor embedded in the artwork. Thanks for taking that journey with me.