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The exhibition Soliloquy, opening in October at the Luisa Catucci Gallery in Berlin-Mitte, delves deeply into the interplay between body and mind. Maike Freess is an internationally renowned German artist whose artistic research, while utilizing various techniques and forms of expression, constantly revolves around the multifaceted psychological realm of the individual, triggered by personal, social, and political processes. Within her artistic process, subjects morph and transmute, unveiling hidden whispers of desire and blurring the lines between the tangible and the fantastical.

A soliloquy, traditionally a device used in theatre to reveal a character’s innermost thoughts, here becomes a metaphor for Maike Freess’s exploration of the psyche’s dialogue with the body. The exhibition portrays this internal monologue, where the corporeal and the cognitive realms engage in an intimate conversation, with the body’s imperfections foregrounded against the psyche’s transcendental reach.

Freess’s inquiry into the corporeal and psychological domains, with their inherent imperfections, limitations, and instability, leads her to explore the indissoluble connection between the human’s corporeal entity and its transcendental cognitive expansion—the mind. The body’s unavoidable imperfections yield precedence to the psyche in its multifaceted dimensions—spiritual, humoral, and intellectual. Freess dissects bodily forms, focusing on the genesis of a novel reality reminiscent of an artificial memoir—an outcome of the inextricable bond between the reshaped corporeal form and the intricacies of the human psyche.

To express her inner universe, Maike Freess spaces through various techniques, video, photography, installation, and sculpture, but her main field, however, is drawing. 

Her virtuosic technique not only manifests a profusion of strong -at times hard- imaginative depth but it also exerts an inherent magnetic force, almost assertively propelling the observer into her artistic realm. In her drawings, proficient in creating volumetric emphasis by strategically interrupting the density of her fine white lines on black paper, juxtaposed with incisive white delineations and judiciously applied colour, Freess confers upon the paper boundless possibilities. She thereby elevates the artistic substrate from mere materiality to a medium enhancing emotional resonance—a realm wherein her deconstructed reality achieves tangible vivacity.

While her hand maintains methodical and lucid control over the pencil, recent years have witnessed a perceptible abstraction in her oeuvre, previously accurately figurative.
This trajectory borders on surrealism, wherein her work conveys an impression of being engendered by a poetic vision. Substantiating this aesthetic is a profound psychological undercurrent, akin to an incision into the subconscious, where memory and awareness coalesce in a synthesis of subjective and universal dimensions.

Freess’s embrace of deconstructionism emerges as a response to the tumultuous events of recent years, marked by a global pandemic and ensuing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. In the artist’s perception, this series of catastrophic events, coupled with what is often perceived as illogical, dishonest, and chaotic management, has effectively deconstructed the societal framework as we once knew it. The profound impact of these events has reverberated significantly in the individual psyche. The resultant reality now presents itself as an abstract reconstruction of the elements that once composed it, mirroring the essence of Freess’s latest work. Here, the abstraction of the body leaves behind mere traces of its figurative elements, culminating in a new and surreal reality. This artistic expression serves as a poignant commentary on the transformative nature of the contemporary world and the psychological repercussions experienced by individuals in the face of such profound disruptions.

Another interesting element that has emerged in Freess’s recent work is the incorporation of cuts. Her drawings are crossed by cuts, akin to sharp blades, or are cut and reassembled. The incisions within her artistic corpus metaphorically embody the fragmented mind, encapsulating conscious or subconscious lacunae in memory and psyche. Beyond the realm of rationality, these incisions generate sensations of discomfort, denial, and misapprehension. In the exhibition’s spatial configuration, these incisions traverse the delimited boundaries of individual artworks and bodies, expanding across walls and floors. This spatial choreography accentuates their unexpected and disorienting impact on the immediate surroundings and audience. Additionally, each individual becomes subject to broader social and political processes, further contributing to the morphologies and deformations of the body—now regarded by the artist as a site for historical inscriptions.

When attending an exhibition by Maike Freess, one immediately discerns the pivotal role that sculptures play in her artistic production, serving as the focal point around which the entire showcase revolves. Her skill in crafting ensembles goes beyond defining spatial volumes; these sculptures cut directly into the surrounding space, injecting a dynamic quality into her work.
In her sculptural pieces, Freess adeptly taps into a background noise of emotional and mental states, offering a distinctive perspective on the human condition as the tragicomedy of a regulated society. Utilizing elegant silk tailored as straitjackets and portraying a deconstructed body turning in on itself, these sculptures go beyond aesthetic appeal. They become powerful conduits that capture shifts, unveil societal masks, and pose probing questions about established conventions, all while providing profound and insightful commentary.

The sensitive work of this German artist engages in profound contemplation of existential quandaries, probing into the constituents of humanity and the experiential aspects of being human. Her reflections encompass the influence of cognition, personal history, environment, and political context in shaping emotional responses and actions. Maike Freess’s dissected forms give birth to a reality that reads like an artificial memoir, a love letter between the corporeal and the ethereal, a Uroboros waltz of spiritual, psychological, humoral, and intellectual dimensions.