Light lines venture out in search of clues, they trace tracks. Colour fields and shadow surfaces build structures which make way for new interpretations against the backdrop of old images. Here, light is the intermediary that opens doors, rendering history visible and visceral because it’s not just that Victoria Coeln’s works enlist the presence of light made manifest, they are also informed by the metaphorical meaning of light. The way she superimposes new light structures and fragments on existing spatial constellations paves pathways for new perceptions of old familiar places. Victoria Coeln’s current work in Leipzig converges with the events of autumn, 1989. She treads gingerly around the objects of her study—exploring the urban landscape, its architecture and history before casting her hand on it with light and photography.
Where does light go? – In the fall of 1989, light proceeded from the St. Nicholas Church, circled the central ring road and lit up the cityscape. It followed the path of people who dared venture beyond the safe confines of the church sanctuary, crossed the St. Nicholas courtyard, made their way to the ring road at the city centre, and ultimately shed the power of their light far beyond the reach of the city limits. This is the route that Victoria Coeln traces with her light interventions.
The intersection of art and history. Prominent places—each with its respective historical context—are thrust into the centre of attention. Fields of light, light lines, and rasterisations superimposed on the buildings allow them to speak for themselves. Decisions about form and colour are based not merely on aesthetic considerations, but rather—perhaps to a greater extent—take into account historical events and historical memories associated with these locations and these buildings. – The events of the year 1989 may be situated in the past, but for the city of Leipzig and her people they remain present even after thirty years. They manifest themselves in buildings and places, in memories and stories. Victoria Coeln’s works throw open the shades on shadowy surfaces like windows to shed light on what is not easily grasped, on faded memories tucked between layers of time. We—as observers—become active participants in passing because the shadows that attest to our presence are incorporated into Coeln’s light interventions. And, as soon as we change our positions relative to the illuminated surfaces, the visible form also changes as movement sets in. Our spatial relationships to the familiar and the unfamiliar alike become perceptible—as does the permanent mutability of these relationships. This is how Victoria Coeln uses her work to establish an intellectual relationship to the movements and to the transformation that took place in Leipzig in the fall of 1989—movements and transformations that are ongoing to this day.
Schauen und Zuhören [Look and listen]. Looking is but the first step in Victoria Coeln’s work—it leads to a place of listening in on oneself and to hearing. What was once familiar—appearing as it does in a whole new light—suddenly seems strange and elicits a willingness to re-discover history and memory, to dare to explore new ways of navigating the past and the future. (Translation Lilian Banks)
Jörg Jacob
Born 1964 in Glauchau (Saxony)
After vocational training as an upholsterer and attending night school to complete his Abitur, Jörg Jacob studied at the German Institute for Literature at the University of Leipzig. Since then, he has received countless awards and fellowships for his publications.