Maximilian Arnold: Freed from Desire

Images carry an intriguing ambiguity, acting as traces of reality transformed into an archive. This process is never neutral, as collecting and archiving images implies manipulation and power. Through techniques like cropping and overlapping, images are destabilized, subverting visual order. This fragmentation, often involving collage and painting, keeps the image in constant flux. In the context of digital capitalism, painting becomes a means to disrupt the process of recording and collage, creating spaces of silence and tension, counteracting the visual saturation of contemporary society and reopening the space of desire.