Thomas Behling

In my artworks I work with the patina at the back of our minds of our ideological heritage, which often contradicts our conscious understanding. I am interested in how we succeed in reaching the border area between seriousness and irony, between critical analysis and naive worship.
I often use old material, for example, a frame, or found, mostly trivial images, and I also give new materials the appearance of being old and authentic...

In my artworks I work with the patina at the back of our minds of our ideological heritage, which often contradicts our conscious understanding. I am interested in how we succeed in reaching the border area between seriousness and irony, between critical analysis and naive worship.
I often use old material, for example, a frame, or found, mostly trivial images, and I also give new materials the appearance of being old and authentic although this cannot possibly be the case. The unclear threshold for the viewer between new and old is intended. Because the things we consider authentic, are above all, the things that we imagine to be so. The motives I use are types of pictures which are in the collective memory of our society, so that the viewer can relate their internal images to those in my artworks.

To see more of Thomas Behlings artwork, please visit his website www.thomas-behling.de