Hannah Regenberg

29.11.2015 –
23.01.2016

Internale

“Internale” is a word that sounds like it might really exist. It sounds like a technical term or the name of an institution. One thinks of integrals or the song “The Internationale”. But there is no such thing as internale. Hannah Regenberg’s work takes language and writing as its starting point. The central theme of her pieces is the difficulty of decoding meaning when faced with the form or materiality of something – the title of the exhibition is likely best interpreted in this context: nomen est omen.

The screen prints that Hannah Regenberg exhibits comprise horizontally arranged strips in different shades of grey. Their structure reminds the viewer of bulldozer tracks, or indeed any kind of conveyor belt. At first, the strips seem to dictate a rigid rhythm, but it is scattered again and again. They seem capable of falling into line, yet they repeatedly slip away, overlap, form precarious stacks. They appear to have been set mechanically, but their disorganised nature and occasionally streaky surfaces make them organic.

In another work on show, we find sentences and fragmented phrases from magazines that have been cut up and rearranged into new sequences. Most lines begin with the personal pronoun “Ich” [I]. Strung together, they appear at first glance to form a coherent text. Though in reality, when one looks closer, these lines also slip away from one another; there is no consistent meaning. “I had to decide. I love fried, salty food. I’m always there for you. I sincerely doubt whether it is objectively possible; people are after all very subjective.” The texts bring their sources to the fore but turn any original meaning on its head. Structures are internalized; internal affairs are revealed.