The trees and bushes beside you - Monica Kim Garza

Monica Kim Garza (b.1988, US) presents her second solo exhibition The trees and bushes beside you with Ruttkowski;68 in Cologne.

The show unfolds as a visual translation of the poem Lost by David Wagoner and delves into moments, sensations and thoughts about the state of being present and its disruption.

Engaged in different activities, the depicted figures exude ambiguous emotional expressions that oscillate somewhere between lighthearted playfulness and serious thoughtfulness. Running, writing, sitting, thinking, drinking – there is a myriad of ways to chase and embrace the different nuances of being present, of aligning body and mind to satisfy the longing for internal peace.

In the intimacy emanating from close-ups of facial expressions, personal reflections and resonances are incited, that delicately explore their own presence in the mundane. Garza points on contemporary trends, that confront us with the challenge of balancing the ever-evolving tension between internal needs and desires and the external influences that shape our lives.

Through the rich application of oil color in both dark and heavy tones as well as light, cheerful greens, pink and orange the paintings seem to speak as sculptures, emancipating themselves from the canvas to lose and find themselves in Wagoner’s lines.  Black and white drawings complement this synergy of painting and poetry, inviting the viewer to become immersed in the transient nature of being present.