Cornelia Kestner - Peaceful days and foolish times
A billy goat looks over the shoulder of a girl who is busy with her smartphone, a buffalo carries an undressed woman on its horn, three women look longingly and frightened into the clouds, while a fly sets off in a carriage. Cornelia Kestner's pictures are strangely alien and draw the viewer into unknown worlds, sometimes witty, biting and full of eroticism but also quiet, tender with a touch of melancholy. Implied relationships appear dramatic, the mostly depicted motif of the woman appears confident and self-assured in interaction with nature and animals, as if it is self-sufficient. Literary models from mythology, fairy tales and stories as well as social allusions provide inspiration.
The works exhibited in the 3 Königinnen Palais show the variety of techniques in which Cornelia Kestner works. On display are large-format drawings with solitary groups of trees and portraits, etchings, oil glazes and watercolors. Cornelia Kestner's painting style has changed in recent years. Just as people change as artists, she believes, as they grow, fail and age, so do her paintings. Social circumstances, personal sensitivities and conditions also influence her choice of motifs and the way she paints. Nothing stays the same - panta reih, said Heraclitus.
