In the Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Balka comes to grips with the presentation of the collection of German Old Master paintings by building a corridor through the collection’s rooms.

The corridor subjects the visitor to a specific system of paths and transition points where he or she can change direction, leave or enter the system.

Balka is interested specifically in how art is observed and how the late middle-age masters are seen.

How does a 21st century audience perceive this expressive colour and uncompromising portrayal of suffering? Despite the passage of time do we still recognise death as a subject that transcends time?

Do the pictures still have anything to say to us today, and how do we react to the divisive artificial wall that Balka has placed before our eyes?

Published to accompany the exhibition at Wir sehen dich / We see you at Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, April – August 2010.

English and German text.