Ground floor: a riot. First floor: a fitting room. That‘s the contrast you should have in mind when envisaging the encounter of two photo artists in Cologne‘s Kaune Sudendorf Gallery. In the exhibition, conceived by Immo Klink und Jacqueline Hassink, the two artists present a selection of very special motifs. And even if the subject matter - namely labels, luxury and brand name fetishism - has similar aspects, it is tackled in two very different ways.
The former lawyer, Immo Klink, shows us barricaded up brand name stores like Prada and Gucci & Co. which have braced themselves for indiscriminate display window break-ins, looting and riotous demonstrations by using plywood panels to board themselves up. Jacqueline Hassink‘s photographs portray places where consumerism, merchandising and brand name fetishism have literally reached new levels: she shows us the so-called ‚fitting rooms‘ in the big fashion boutiques, reserved only for the richest of the rich, where you can dress up in clothes that cost well up into the millions. Unavailable for average Joe on the street to wear.
Jacqueline Hassink is no culprit when it comes to glorifying these topics of fashion, brand names and luxury - just as Immo Klink doesn‘t want to stir up concerns regarding globalisation or occupy movements. In her work, Hassink addresses the relationship that luxury products have with their environment. Her famous ‚Car Girls‘ is one such example.
