Johanna Calle - LINEAL: Munich

The first solo exhibition by Colombian artist Johanna Calle at LOHAUS SOMINSKY is entitled "Lineal", a word that has the same meaning in German, English and Spanish. "Lineal" refers to the line, a formal element of drawing. All of the works exhibited in the solo show are drawings created with different types of lines, illustrating Calle's expanded concept of drawing.

Some works are elaborately produced using a mechanical typewriter from the 1940s: Different forms of writing are a central part of her artistic practice; both typewritten and handwritten texts characterize her works. Calle regards words and letters as signs or dots that construct an image. The use of historical materials is part of her visual language. Accounting and legal documents used to register land ownership or economic transactions are integral to her research-based methodology.

In her ink works (Taquigráfica und Lineal), she depicts lines of book notations that serve to delimit the handwriting within tight parallel lines. These seemingly blank pages refer to past learning methods of calligraphy, where writing outside the lines was considered a symptom of a naughty character.

Johanna Calle uses asymmetrical grids to emphasize altered structures. The theme is a certain kind of order that has been disrupted and cannot be returned to its original form. Wire grids and lines are cut up to transform a rigid geometric diagram into a shapeable object that represents movements of all kinds, migrations, monetary transactions and political ideas.

"Perspectivas" is the title of two works in which Johanna Calle geometrically represents space by flattening hand-welded cages using engraving techniques. These works of art symbolize imprisonment and isolation, reducing the space to a flat surface.

Original documents such as shares, which represent capital or property, are the material on which Calle's drawings are created and refer to an uncertain future ("Acciones"). This contrasts with the "Tomo" series, which was created on five book covers and refers to objects associated with literature and knowledge.

The Colombian artist Johanna Calle is characterized by her innovative approach to drawing and her multidisciplinary practice. Her works refer to traditional learning methods, cultural practices and historical events. She creates connections between the past and the present, questioning existing norms and systems in a visually striking and intellectually stimulating way.