Jens Ullrich at Van Horn Gallery – Art Forum Berlin

Let me start out by confessing that photography has never been my cup of 'collecting' tea. However, as I get older and have been exposed to more and more photographs, I am beginning to develop a taste and appreciation for the medium. Especially when the artist tweaks the conventional process and thinks outside the box, like Jens Ullrich’s Maskencollagen works.

Jens Ullrich was born in Tanzania and now lives and works in Germany. His black and white prints show today’s life in Africa with traditional tribal masks superimposed over the subject’s faces. The effect is disconcerting, a little bit creepy, and extremely compelling. I love the kinetic feeling of the subject’s bodies juxtaposed against the archaic and wooden nature of the masks. I am also intrigued by his use of traditional masks and the modern man. By donning his figures with masks that were customarily used in rituals and social rites, he is blurring the boundary between the modern and the ancient. Check out Jens Ullrich’s work at www.van-horn.net. For all you London dwellers, Ullrich will be part of the Level 2 Gallery Series at the Tate Modern from 16 December 2006- 11 February 2007.