Elif Saydam: Stealth

In the organizer's words:

Elif Saydam's second solo exhibition at Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle takes us into a world that runs under the radar. The title "Stealth" immediately suggests that something remains undiscovered here or is secretly concealed beneath the seductive surface of this painting. Inevitably, one tries to discover this world. The round pictures show details of ornamental Moorish patterns, marble floors, coffered ceilings or other architectural elements from Spanish Andalusia, but also paradisiacal plants and fruit or details of plastic products from souvenir stores that imitate classic ceramics from another era, for example. The details are mirrored and superimposed; it is difficult to tell what is painted or printed in the pictures, what was artificially created or actually experienced. Now and again a hand can be seen in the background, apparently holding a mirror. The works have been decorated with painted ornaments, flowers or gilded frames on what appears to be a printed surface. Elements from Islamic miniature painting, which Elif Saydam has been consciously using decoratively for some time. Convex mirrors, familiar from street surveillance or as protection against shoplifting, cavort between these pleasurable reflective images in the exhibition. However, the mirror surfaces are covered with painted bars and nostalgic stickers from the 1980s. They read in German: "There's a lot to do - don't leave" or "Unfortunately, we have to stay outside!"

Approaches that tie in with the "Zu Spät" group of works, on which photographic sections of buildings with Berlin Spätis and their façades can be seen. In addition to the familiar ornaments, slogans and flags of the political left or queer communities were also painted on the surface, with the canvas serving as a place of fantasy. This mix of "high" and subcultural aesthetics in the visual language, which is based on the lifeworld of a diverse community, is typical of the artist's working method.

The term "stealth" is also used colloquially as an expression for a person who moves through a social order unrecognized and thus creates a certain degree of security for themselves. The title thus alludes on several levels to a feeling of unease and desire. The use of mirrors is an attempt to approach history and identity, but also illustrates the failure to ever be able to grasp them in their entirety. Painting serves here as a projection surface for the desire to enter into a relationship with the world, to make one's own surroundings visible, but without getting too close to them.

Elif Saydam (*1985 in Calgary, Canada) studied at the Städelschule Frankfurt under Monika Baer and Amy Sillman until 2016. The artist received the New York Scholarship from the Hessian Cultural Foundation for 2024. The exhibition "Eviction Notice" at the Oakville Galleries in Oakville was Elif Saydam's first major institutional solo exhibition in Canada and was named one of the 10 most important exhibitions in 2023 by Frieze Magazine. Solo exhibitions at Kunsthal Thy in Denmark and Kunstverein Gießen are planned for 2025.