Sonnenschein um Mitternacht

In the organizer's words:

Berlin-based Roland Stratmann is a virtuoso draughtsman, a versatile artist with a multi-faceted approach. One of his favorite materials are postcards, so-called "run" postcards, i.e. postcards that have been written on, stamped and mailed, which he collects in large numbers and, grouped in a meaningful way, turns into his picture backgrounds with the written side. The resulting naturalistic ink drawings are combined with the texts on the postcards and the colorful and prominent title lines to create highly complex image-text combinations.

They unite conceptual subtlety, pictorial and linguistic wit, a feast for the eyes and an intellectual challenge, while also addressing highly serious topics such as German history, colonialism and the extinction of species.

In sophisticated collage works, the artist also takes on the image pages of postcards, from which he conjures up excitingly intertwined, multi-layered puzzle images that almost make us forget their representational origins (be it architecture, animals, landscapes, masks, vessels or sculptures), transforming them in a way that is as anarchic as it is highly aesthetic.

In addition, Stratmann also develops sculptures whose cheerful, colorful look made from recycled textiles also focuses on the relationship between humans and animals and seeks to explore themes such as exoticism and exploitation beneath the appealing surface. His collages and sculptures never exhaust themselves in aesthetic pleasure, but confront us with bitter truths and unpleasant insights in a colorful manner.

Roland Stratmann's works are exhibited internationally and are represented in numerous collections.