BERLIN.- A thought-provoking new exhibition titled "Fokus und Fatigue" (Focus and Fatigue) has opened at HAUS am KLEISTPARK, showcasing the photographic and sculptural works of German artists Marie Rief and Silja Yvette. The exhibition delves into the contemporary issues of material and resource exhaustion, creating a dynamic interplay between its titular concepts that resonate across media, society, and the environment.

The concept of "Focus" in the exhibition highlights photography's ability to concentrate attention, while also acknowledging the challenge of maintaining concentration in a hyper-technological, distraction-filled world. Conversely, "Fatigue" prompts a critical examination of the consequences of relentless innovation and overconsumption. Through their innovative blend of photography and sculpture, Rief and Yvette tackle pressing modern questions: the impact of abundance, the media's distortion of reality, and the inherent limitations of technology as a universal problem-solver. The exhibition features a diverse range of works that push the boundaries of the photographic medium.

Silja Yvette's contributions include her series "Metaphysics of Core Matter," where she transforms discarded packaging into sculptures. These creations are then staged and photographed within various environments, from industrial settings to photo labs, blurring the lines between creation, consumption, and documentation. Her photographic sculpture "Tools of Modernity" further plays with materiality by replacing traditional photo studio backdrops with recycled polystyrene panels, effectively making the stage itself a part of the subject and a commentary on material use.

Marie Rief's works, on the other hand, incorporate repetition to reflect the theme of fatigue. In "Dunkelkammer" (Darkroom), she recreates her photographic darkroom using approximately 800 individual A4-sized images, transforming the exhibition space into an immersive, walkable darkroom. Her series "16 793 062.7" investigates the pervasive presence of touchscreen displays as information conduits. Rief achieves this by melting a patent file for a display into glass through various firing processes, questioning the nature of digital information and its physical manifestation.

Silja Yvette, born in 1986, is an alumna of the Städelschule Academy of Fine Arts in Frankfurt. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she was nominated for the Haus am Kleistpark Art Prize in 2022, followed by participation in the Goldrausch Project for Women Artists in 2023.

Marie Rief, born in 1987, studied Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Berlin. She has received numerous grants and fellowships, including from the Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn (2021) and Neustart Kultur (2022). She also participated in the Goldrausch Künstlerinnen Projekt in 2023 and received project funding from the Alexander Tutsek Foundation in 2024.

"Fokus und Fatigue" offers a compelling visual dialogue on the environmental and societal impacts of our modern existence, inviting viewers to consider their own relationship with consumption, technology, and the world around them.