Reinhard Voigt
textiles

Opening – 26 APR 2024, 6-9 pm

Soy Capitán is excited to announce the first collaboration with German artist Reinhard Voigt (b. 1940). The exhibition “textiles” showcases drawings and paintings spanning 1968-2001 that convey the complexity inherent in his works. Voigt, an alumnus of the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg, DE, is primarily recognized for his influence in 1960s Pop Art or as a pioneer of Pixel Art. Little consideration has been given to the influence he garnered from textile manufacturing, particularly the art of embroidery. Historically, this medium has been labeled as a housewife’s work and has therefore been overlooked or even excluded from “high art”.

By observing the works on display, a discernible grid structure emerges, a framework Voigt skillfully employs and which he copied from his mother’s embroidery work. The pieces on display not only demonstrate Voigt’s adeptness at drawing from textile works but also underscore his unique departure from the traditional modernist – that is, abstract – approach to the grid. In his practice, the grid is not used to replace the figurative image; rather, it serves as a formal tool for representing it, similar to the way it is utilized in embroidery. 

The developments of recent decades, especially with regard to the emergence of feminist art history, have proven the textile medium to be historically significant medium, and allow Voigt’s works to be viewed from a different angle and re-evaluated. Drawing from the traditionally female-associated medium of textile art, Voigt’s works simultaneously predict the advancement of the digital age. Through his practice, he deftly maneuvers the course of time, succinctly demonstrating the benefits of embracing new perspectives.