Robbie Cornelissen: »Terra Nova« – Rooms and the human psyche

Huge, deserted rooms, such as libraries or waiting rooms, with futuristic interiors, sometimes real, sometimes fictitious, are the trademark of the Dutch drawing artist Robbie Cornelissen. His intention: the rooms, which preferably have a suction-like effect, are meant to reflect the human psyche. His drawings, some of which fill walls, as well as his drawing installations and films, will form the focus of the special exhibition at the Graphisches Kabinett of the Mannheimer Kunsthalle from October 29, 2021 with Terra Nova – Robbie Cornelissen. The centerpiece is the eponymous film Terra Nova, produced exclusively for the Kunsthalle.

Thematically, the moving drawings shown in it deal critically with the human search for new living space – and thus tie in with Cornelissen's recurring subjects, such as the interaction between space and the psyche. Also intriguing are the large-format works, up to 13 meters in length, in which viewers lose themselves both in the supposedly infinite expanse and in the countless details. With reservations, the exhibition is scheduled to run through March 13, 2022. Due to possible changes in admission requirements due to the pandemic, interested parties should check the homepage in advance for current regulations. 

The Kunsthalle Mannheim opened in 1909 as the city's first museum and has since been considered one of the world's first civic collections of modern art. Its collection contains top works by artists we Edouard Manet or Francis Bacon. The museum is located in an Art Nouveau building built in 1907, which was expanded by a modern complex in 2018.