​

Die Hände wollen sehen, die Augen wünschen zu streicheln

- J.W. von Goethe

​

Julius Heinemann’s (°1984, Germany) artistic practise is based on an intuitive and process-based narration. Rather than translating a preconceived idea into a composition, his work follows an organic set of motions, investigating the intersection of space, time, observation and perception.

 

In his work, painting becomes a system that plays with the relation between subject and reality. It is no coincidence that the title of the show refers to the eponymous poem by Austrian writer Peter Handke, who uses the structure of language as ‘a tool to set in motion’ (zum Schweben bringen).

​

More than being a reference, the paradoxical title – The Innerworld of the Outerworld of the Innerworld – touches upon the essence of the show. Presenting themselves in relation to their immediate surroundings, the paintings’ surface can be perceived as a ‘skin’, a border blurring boundaries between the real and the imagined, between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. In addition to being carriers of an image, they are physical objects that function as fragments on the walls, referencing the gallery space itself. Heinemann divides the space into four rooms that interact with one another through paintings, watercolours, collages, and paper objects. The gallery isn’t a blank canvas, nor is the viewer an objective perceiver. This idea is enhanced by a small cut-out in one of the closed gallery blinds that let the light in, but block the view. Through this intervention one is aware of a world outside, but is only able to see it like an image, as if through a TV screen.

​

When looking at a work, our observation tends to be dominated by our sense of seeing – seeing the image as an isolated object. To counterbalance this notion, Heinemann raises questions like: Which piece of tape is paper and which one is painted? Is this shade a shadow cast inside the room, or is it drawn onto the work? And is this even relevant?

​

Phenomenological philosopher Merleau-Ponty states, “the senses translate each other without any need of an interpreter and are naturally comprehensible without the intervention of any idea”. Without providing a stern framework, Heinemann’s practise appeals to various senses, making us experience the space by touching with the eyes, while gazing with our hands.

​

Julius Heinemann (°1984, Germany) lives and works in Berlin and is represented by Jahn & Jahn, Munich and Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City. Geukens & De Vil included his work in various groupshows like ‘Presque Rien’ (2019), ‘Summertime and the living is easy’ (2015) and ‘On White’ (2014). With ‘The Innerworld of the Outerworld of the Innerworld’ the gallery is happy to present Heinemann’s first solo in Belgium, in collaboration with Proyectos Monclova.

 

Text: Lien Craps

​

Download biography Julius Heinemann

​

​