| The conceptual photography of Natalie Czechs is based on the scientifically profound selection of existing images and texts from the worldwide circulation of media information, thematically, pictorially and aesthetically, then the staging and constructing new relationships, meanings and readings of her material. The work Pen / PR Shirt (from to [icon]) shows a Valentino blouse. When the seam is marked, the shape of a pen is revealed. This ‘icon’ has a variety of meanings in different computer programs and interactive Internet platforms. Natalie Czech thus not only discovers an ‘image in an image,’ but also a ‘text in an image’ which she adapts and places in a poetic sequence: Draw (PicsArt Photo) / Drafts (AirMail) / Draft Review (TripAdvisor) / Write a Review (Google Play) / Update Info (Facebook) / Text (pinterest) / Wrong? (Google Translate). The poem establishes an associative connection from ‘writing to drawing’ and enters into a pointed dialogue with the motif of the Valentino blouse, which in this variant is photographed solely for PR purposes to visualize the ‘idea’ of Valentino without being functional. Natalie Czech stages the positioning of the blouse as a gestural brushstroke and with a wink plays with the fact that the blouse itself is ‘only’ a functionless, conceptual sketch. |
