Geh nicht aus dem Zimmer

At Thaddaeus Ropac Marais, Paris, the exhibition "Geh nicht aus dem Zimmer" (Don’t leave your room) features works by Austrian artist Martha Jungwirth. The central piece is a large-scale installation comprising 131 drawings and paintings on paper, interspersed with newspaper clippings, created over several years. This 'great frieze of unruly images' is complemented by a selection of the artist's recent paintings and watercolours dating back to the 1980s.

The exhibition's title, referencing a poem by Joseph Brodsky, reflects the introspective and diaristic nature of Jungwirth's artistic process. The works on paper, often created intuitively and with a sense of confidentiality, are presented as an unbound journal. Jungwirth's practice is characterized by an abstract language that incorporates figuration and is influenced by current affairs, as evidenced by the newspaper fragments integrated into her compositions. The exhibition also highlights her nuanced approach to colour and her distinctive mark-making.