JENS HESSE

JENS HESSE /// Paintings, influenced by digital distorted satellite signals (OIL ON CORDUROY)

"My work examines the emotions of daily life. Facial expressions and figures in my paintings reveal only one part of the emotion, in addition there is a surreal element: emotions resulting from the world of numerical signals.


We live in a numerical time, a time when all that was analogical becomes numerical. Everywhere, digital images are at our disposal, reaching us by satellite, TNT (terrestrial TV) or by cable. They surround us in the form of signals and electronic waves. In my work I initially try to transform a piece using digital visual effects. Especially for this exhibition, I translated my work into the vertical banding effect seen on LCD-screens. In doing so, I looked to corduroy as inspiration. I simulated the vertical lines using darker colours for the furrows and lighter colours for the ribbing.


During digital transmissions there are often disturbances occuring if the apparatus is malfunctioning, the receiver is unstable or if the signal is disrupted by atmospheric circumstances such as a storm. These disturbances can trigger various visual effects: image shifts, transformations of the image, interruptions, blurring, pixilation, colour changes, ghostly effects or image merging.


All these projections and disturbances are part of our everyday life. They influence the way we view our world. For most viewers, these disturbances are quite literally, disturbing. On the other hand, such transformations in still images intensify a visual experiment and reinforce an emotional expression.
The images in my work are based on photographs of a TV screen, with all its accidental irregularities. They are no photomontage. They are snapshots of reality, translated into paintings.


In summary, my paintings show the characters of three types of optical images which influence the final image: TV/video (the source of the image), photographs (the means of recording the image) and finally the paintings themselves."

☁ JENS HESSE