Newcomer II

"Behind a rainbow" excerpt of opening talk by Nina Venus

The 'NEWCOMER' exhibition project is a collaboration between two venues and institutions, equally dedicated to promote and present up and coming contemporary positions.

Founded in 1986, Künstlerhaus Lauenburg awards residency scholarships for visual arts, literature and composition to promising artists - to live and work on site in the apartments and studios. The gallery and artist residency is an ideal creative playground, a paradisiacal place to produce and observe art. As with Künstlerhaus Lauenburg, the name of Gallery Cubeplus says it all: not an aestheticized white cube, but a cube + a gallery that not only functions commercially, programmatically exploring the boundaries between art and design, but also a project space curated by the two founders, an artist run gallery that shows, networks and promotes young and established artists in joint duo exhibitions. Both of these exhibition venues are dedicated to be by the side of artist supporting them with initial steps in the rough terrain of the art profession - by being entry platforms for newcomers on their journey into the wide, wild art world. Furthermore, both exhibition venues equally aspire to conduct an artistic dialog that is not exclusive and internal, but open, interdisciplinary and socially relevant, hoping to connect artists with those interested in art and to expand the conversation about art, and to make it permeable.

After "There is another me in the world", the first part, the collaborative exhibition project NEWCOMER now presents the second part with "Behind a rainbow" and brings together 7 artists, like the 7 colors of the visible spectrum of the rainbow, under an exhibition title that sounds like a promise...

A rainbow is more than the many small raindrops whose reflection, refraction and dispersion of the sun's rays bring out the colors in the air, more than the physical explanation of this natural phenomenon, this celestial spectacle, this optical illusion - which no two people can see exactly the same way at the same time.

A rainbow is a strong motif in mythologies and religions and in many cultures the rainbow is a symbol of hope. One story tells of a treasure, a large pot of gold that lies hidden at the end of a rainbow and is guarded by a devious leprechaun. Presumably people have tried, but no one has ever reached the end of a rainbow, because the end is never exactly where you are. The legendary treasure of gold is unattainable, the promise of happiness, of salvation remains unfulfilled, is longing and eternal hope.

Nevertheless - who doesn't like seeing a rainbow, marveling and rejoicing, perhaps hoping for happiness?