Scharfenberg und Brinkmann - Sachlich und Brühwarm

What does a young generation make of ugliness when it aims for beauty? For centuries in Berlin, it was common to demolish and rebuild; every thirty years, a popular square looked different because everything had become démodé. This can happen when one clings to fashions or political ideas. Although one is fortunate when a Lenné comes along and creates great structures, even that does not prevent misdevelopments. Mediocrity then spreads elsewhere as the result of frantically planned fast-paced changes.

Even in the countryside, one can look at buildings that were cast in concrete long ago with astonishment and wonder if they shouldn't be taken down. Aesthetic quality often seemed unaffordable at the beginning of construction projects, and in the end, average mediocrity triumphs and influences all actors down to the smallest details of their lives. The time that follows and concerns them now interests the next generation. What will they do when these products decay?

A pragmatic approach seems to be the order of the day. Much that was thoughtlessly and hastily planned must now be preserved because it is still needed. Other things that are familiar in everyday life are now kept hidden behind rose bushes, dipped in sunset colors, or abstracted in black and white, like in old films. From this emerges a new harsh aesthetic.

It becomes particularly exciting when both artists work together in this exhibition towards a common goal. Now the two adjectives – factual and steaming hot – can make peace with each other. This is not only entertaining but also stimulating and atmospheric, as the next generation, who can hold nothing against their grandparents, shows what happens when they pull hot potatoes from the fire or undermine well-intentioned efforts: the existing is examined for its sustainability. Quite factually, as much must last longer than one might wish. They also feel a burning urgency to prevent throwing things away or tearing them down. Now they take a step further: the existing is aesthetically celebrated and staged, transforming before our eyes. In light of such hopeful dedication, it can now become more beautiful.