German artist Neo Rauch on ‘punching back’ at critics as he holds second solo exhibition in Hong Kong
- Neo Rauch is back in Hong Kong with his unique brand of figurative painting, showing his troubling landscapes across 15 paintings at David Zwirner
- He talks about his spat with art historian Wolfgang Ullrich, previous run-ins with critics and journalists, and gaining control of his paintings’ characters
In March 2019, the German artist Neo Rauch opened his first solo show in Asia at David Zwirner’s Hong Kong gallery. In English, it was called “Propaganda”; the Chinese title was translated as “publicity”.
From a distance, Rauch’s work always looks quaint. Then you move closer and observe the mutilations, the claws, the grotesque instruments, the approaching storms. The viewer is chilled and intrigued by a sense of impending disaster.
Four years later – during which the world has seen many very real disasters – Rauch once more has a show at David Zwirner in Hong Kong.
In German, it’s called “Feldzeichen”. In English, the translation is “Field Signs”, which suggests something agricultural – “the farmer and his potatoes,” as he puts it one morning in the gallery – although the original reference is to the ancient banners carried by Roman troops to mark their conquered territories.
Rauch enjoys double meanings but he doesn’t spell them out. Every one of the 15 paintings in the show has an untranslated German title.