The work "Firma" was made especially for the exhibition "Werterauschen" in Schloss Biesdorf.
Over 100 so-called "blue men" were cut into pieces by hand and sewn back together. When combined, the backs and sleeves form their own abstract language, which can sometimes be reminiscent of Paul Klee.
The work is meant to exude togetherness, shared creation that can create value. In a previous exhibition in 2018, Mullan worked once before with so-called "blue men" as material. While the focus there was on the individual characters, here the big picture comes to the fore – not the employee, but the company as a whole is symbolised. The size of the work in space also plays a role and can be interpreted figuratively as a possible industrial site.
Simon Mullan (born 1981 in Kiel, Germany) lives in Berlin and works in a large factory studio near Angermünde (Germany). He studied transmedia and video art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the Royal College of Art in Stockholm.
Painting, sculpture and installation form the core of his art, although video and performance continue to play a crucial role in the artist's practice. Mullan makes art from commodity, functional and non-art materials and working utensils such as sandpaper, razor blades, ceramic tiles and grout, bomber jackets, "worker" uniforms and mechanical components, which he takes apart, cuts up and reconfigures to create a distinctive aesthetic. The segmented lines and shapes in his work refer to architectures or code systems. Mullan's work can be read as a representation of physical as well as manual labour, which itself has a creative potential all its own. With their everyday materiality, Mullan's works also suggest that abstraction springs from the profane.
Gallery Dittrich & Schlechtriem)