The exhibition title "Diverse Karten" not only suggests a number of possible interpretations and combinations, but also evokes different associations: in addition to expressions related to “cards,” a deck of cards, for example, topographical or territorial maps are also called to mind since “Karten” in German can mean both cards and maps. Moreover, the title can be understood as a reference to the diversity of print materials used by Olaf Metzel in his works, including flyers, posters, newspaper and magazine clippings, or record covers, and the processing of these into aluminum sculptures, among other things. Interrelations and causalities, which are relevant for maps/cards in general, are of central importance, as is illustrated by a mediation project for the exhibition "Gruppendynamik" (since 2021) at the Lenbachhaus Munich. An intervention glossary was produced during the course of this project in the form of colored cards, which Metzel picks up on in his sculpture of the same name. With key words such as “whiteness,” “post-colonial theory,” “gender,” “toxic masculinity,” or “art canon” he mirrors contemporary discourses. At the same time, Metzel repeatedly reflects on the art system and changing contexts for exhibitions.

Whether critical, sardonic, or provocative, Metzel continuously explores the idea of time, with its manifestations and events. He reassesses the significance of the motifs he has chosen by juxtaposing art, politics, everyday life, media, and popular culture on an equal footing. The works shown in the exhibition alone make reference to the painting of Nicolas de Staël, Matthieu Kassovitz’s film "La Haine" ("Hate," 1995), Aretha Franklin’s song "Respect" (1967), or even playing cards. Metzel prints the motifs, consisting of words and images, on aluminum plates. He then bends, compresses, crumples them, or folds them like a fan. Form and format, as created in their original medium, are suspended – the relationship between original and reproduction, coincidence and design, text and image, color and black and white is renegotiated. While some sculptural areas remain hidden due to folds, Metzel deliberately brings other details into focus and gives them particular depth using sculptural means.

The artist not only offers new perspectives and cross-references, but also heightens awareness of current socio-political issues, which he radically and uncompromisingly implements. A work shown in the exhibition entitled "Kiew 2014," created in 2015 as a result of the bloody clashes in Maidan Square, produces an oppressive effect with its bullet-torn vehicles. This sense of disquiet is intensified when combined with the black and white work "Wir Flüchtlinge ("We Refugees," 2018), which contains a text of the same name by Hannah Ahrendt (1943), as well as the new, barren version of a "Sammelstelle" ("Collection Point," 2022) – a motif that Metzel had already explored artistically in 1992 in connection with the situation of Yugoslavian refugees. Although the pieces, with the exception of the latter, date from an earlier point in his career, they are associated with the here and now, especially in view of the war in Ukraine.

Olaf Metzel (born in 1952 in Berlin, lives and works in Munich) was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich for almost three decades, where he also served as director from 1995 to 1999. He has had numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad, and the work of this multi-award winning artist can be found in important international museums and collections such as Museum Ludwig, Cologne; Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf; Hamburger Kunsthalle; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; Neues Museum, Nuremberg; Kunsthalle Bremen; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Kupferstichkabinett/Museum of Prints and Drawings); Staatsgalerie Stuttgart; Deutsche Bank Collection, Frankfurt; Munich Re Art Collection, Munich; ZKM, Karlsruhe; Falckenberg Collection, Hamburg; Collezione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin; die Mobiliar, Bern; Vehbi Koc Foundation, Istanbul; The Margulies Collection, Miami. Metzel has curated exhibitions, written articles for magazines and newspapers, and produced multiple publications.

Jahn und Jahn is very pleased to present a solo exhibition by the artist in the gallery space for the first time.