"COSMIC LATTE"

The invitation to the Galerie im Turm prompts Berlin-based artist Moritz Frei to revisit subjects that have long occupied him. He embarks on a free-associative exploration of generation, neighborhood, the conditions of art production, and the average color of the universe. He places a small ad in a Friedrichshain local neighborhood paper and visits senior centers to recruit residents aged 65 and over to produce artworks according to his specifications, in exchange for payment. For three days he uses the gallery space as a studio together with his helpers. Moritz Frei enters into a dialogue with his retired assistants about the understanding and criticism of art, and about life in the neighborhood today and in the past. The exhibition »Cosmic Latte« is a translation of the artist’s associative thinking and research: in the Galerie im Turm, Moritz Frei creates an immersive installation in which his personal fascination — with the concrete and the abstract, with interpersonal exchange and pictorial association — becomes tangible. Moritz Frei studied photography and fine art in Leipzig under Peter Piller. His works are often grounded in long-term engagements as well as performative processes. Over six years, for instance, he collected particularly unusual small ads related to the art world from newspapers, and in 2014 published the book »Tausche Ölbild für gebrauchtes Auto (nicht älter als 5 Jahre).« [Trade oil painting for used car (no older than 5 years).]

»It all starts with the small ad — my first ever one of my own. A lot of it I already have in mind from the outset, drawn from accumulated ideas, and much of it — and this too is important — I simply cannot plan: Who will respond? What is it like to have others work for you? What will come of it? Will the budget be enough? After the first meetings I quickly noticed how different the people are who want to assist me. The exhibition will show images that are, with good reason, average — just as average as the pale beige that researchers in 2001 named ‘Cosmic Latte.’ There is a concept underlying the whole, but the form finds itself through carrying it forward and adding to it. I would never make the same exhibition twice. On my venture into uncharted territory, I’m sure I’ll run into chance every now and then.« MORITZ FREI

Download full Interview with Moritz Frei 

Interview with Moritz Frei on artfdridge.de

Cosmic Latte Trailer on Vimeo