Magnet 2018

Editor: Eckart Hahn's "Magnet," painted in 2018 using oil paints, strikes me as a rather unsettling composition. The stark contrast between the tangled rope and the desolate background creates this air of unease. What do you make of it? Curator: Unsettling, yes! It reminds me of a dream – familiar objects rearranged in a way that feels… off. It's Hahn’s masterful realism clashing with surreal elements that gives the piece its power. The meticulous rendering of the rope contrasts oddly with the seemingly casual placement of the magnet. Do you see how that tension plays out in the space between representation and something more elusive? Editor: I do, and that piece of paper with the blue bird really gets me, with it's torn edges and the fact that the rope’s shadow is cast on top. Like there is some type of knowledge there being constrained, being kept from escaping... Maybe a commentary on lost freedom? Curator: Perhaps! The bird image does suggest vulnerability. And isn't that what a magnet does? It pulls things, sometimes against their will. This controlled still life vibrates with this very strange, palpable energy – a silent narrative that beckons us closer, like the magnet itself. The line, the form, the idea… Editor: It is interesting how he achieves a sense of depth despite the darkness of the background, but keeps the elements flat as the magnet seemingly cannot interact with the bluebird…I can feel it resisting me. This was really great to know! Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Always good to know about the artist and art piece. It shows us how even familiar subjects can offer so many stories if you only shift your perspective, tug on the thread – or rope! – a little differently.