23/02 – 28/04/2019

Julian Irlinger’s presentation sheds light on social and cultural aspects of found pictures and objects. His source material are the emergency banknotes issued in Germany during the period of inflation between 1918 and 1923 as a parallel currency to the Reichsbank mark. In many cases, these paper banknotes depict politically charged motifs that in many cases were designed by regional artists. Employing selected details, Julian Irlinger focuses attention on the pictorial strategies behind these historical bills that not only reveal a seductive quality and subtle humour but also demonstrate the dark sides of the Weimar Republic. To this end, the artist undertakes a reassessment and explores the relationship between ideology and aesthetic within the context of his artistic production. In his dealings with these artefacts, he not only addresses socio-political discourses but also the associated worldview that permeates present-day politics. These aspects are contextualised in the exhibition by means of additional further objects. After studying art history and pedagogic at the Friedrich-Alexander- Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Julian Irlinger (born 1986 in Erlangen, lives in Berlin) completed a course of study at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig and the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main. He held a Whitney Museum Independent Study Program (Studio) grant in New York from 2017 to 2018. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue published by Spector Books that features an extensive essay on emergency money by Nora M. Alter.