For his fifth solo exhibition at MARTINETZ, Christian Eisenberger (b. 1978 in Semriach, Austria) presents a diverse selection of his most recent works. The title, ‘Masse und Macht’, was borrowed from Elias Canetti's book of the same name, in which the author discusses the complex relationships between the individual, the masses and power. Canetti examines people's behaviour in crowds, the psychological mechanisms at play and the effects of power within these contexts. The conclusions he draws are still relevant today. Eisenberger treats the title of the exhibition as an artistic concept: the power of the masses illustrates Eisenberger's interest in producing work in series, as is evident from the almost unbelievable figures that follow the titles of his works. At the time of the exhibition opening, the artist will have been alive for 16,932 days, during which time he will have created 9,975 cardboard figures and 41,852 works on A4 paper – among many others.

A group of sculptures entitled ‘Picnic’ forms the centrepiece of Christian Eisenberger's exhibition in Cologne. The work consists of a collection of characteristic figures, some with human and some with comic-like features that reflect the diversity of the artist's work. The basis for these figures is ordinary cardboard, which Eisenberger then casts in aluminium so as to lend them a surprising monumentality. The contrast between the light, volatile source material and the robustness of the aluminium creates a dialectic tension, all the more so as the sculptures are being presented in an interior setting for the first time. Methodical thinking, Spontaneity and improvisation. The artist, who lives in Vienna and Salzburg, is known for his intuitive working method. He frequently allows himself to be guided by the materials and the respective context, which bestows a certain immediacy upon his works. Indeed, it is the form of dialectics that is most apparent in Eisenberger's work and in the exhibition. Alongside sculptures and plastic art, paintings created in his studio in Vienna are also on display, and their pastose, oftentimes fleeting style serves to emphasise the artist's interest in seriality. They stand in contrast to multiple photographs that Eisenberger takes in nature with a self-timer, which depict him interacting with nature. Painting and Land Art. Portraitist and landscape-reshaper. While Eisenberger's studio in the city is filled to bursting with artworks, his open-air studio in the forest is defined by the fleeting nature of all the works created there. Mass and power. Time and transience. One thing becomes clear from the exhibition: Christian Eisenberger is a hunter and a gatherer, a city artist and a land artist. If one is taken away, the other will fall.

Hendrik Bündge