CURATED: CHRIS DRANGE

Chris Drange (*1983, Germany) studied at the International Center of Photography in New York and at the Art Students League of New York. Drange received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 2015 and a master's degree in painting in 2019 at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg to pursue, and later obtained his from the same university.

Drange is best known for his use of digital found objects in post-digital paintings of contemporary influencers and social media symbolism. He depicts online images and transforms them into classical oil paintings, often on large canvases. As a statement on authorship and originality, Drange doesn't paint any of his artwork. Instead, he creates sketches from various digital found objects and sends them to an oil painting factory in China, where they are painted by hand on large-scale canvases. The amalgamation of selfies, emojis, and other depictions of social media symbols is central to his art.

Drange's work has appeared in several exhibitions and magazines, such as Kunstforum, Numéro, Weserburg, Benaki Museum, MDBK Leipzig (LINK IN BIO) and KÖNIG GALERIE (THE ARTIST IS ONLINE).

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<p> “I just love the feeling that rises inside me when I look at a puppy or a little goatling. That same feeling that the image conveys is what I wanted to transfer onto a canvas. The motif is painted multiple times larger than you would normally see in the image. It emphasizes all the painted details of the puppy's fur, which is quite beautiful and adds a lot of detail and compressibility to the painting.” – Chris Drange </p> 

WESTI

BABY PUPPY

Chris Drange has not painted any of his artworks, although his works are oil paintings depicting contemporary influencers like Kendall Jenner or Gigi Hadid. Drange has found an unusual way of making them: he creates sketches from various digital found objects, like influencer selfies or cute puppies, and sends them to an oil painting factory in China, where they are painted by hand on large-scale canvases. With his approach, the artist questions authorship and originality.

In conversation with Nora Partl, Head of Content & Communication, Drange speaks about the origins of his practice, social media symbolism, and discusses the question of whether a selfie is an expression of emancipation or serves the male gaze.

POST-DIGITAL ART AND SOCIAL MEDIA SYMBOLISM

CHRIS DRANGE: QUESTIONING AUTHORSHIP

More than 15 artists explore the duality of kitsch and its critique of modernity, technology, and online culture. Bright, pastel-coloured fantasy worlds filled with unicorns, animals, and other fluffy creatures evoke feelings of tenderness and innocence. But is cuteness always this innocent? 

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