The exhibition “KALO” explores and reflects on the layered meanings of “coal” — as a material, as a colloquial term for money, and as a culturally charged metaphor. In her solo exhibition at the Bergson Gallery, artist Janine Mackenroth engages with this field of associations and connects it to the former coal silos that now serve as the exhibition space. In doing so, she works directly with coal itself, develops her own perfume, and incorporates unorthodox materials into her artistic practice — ranging from nail polish to shredded euro banknotes.
Mackenroth’s works examine the material flows of our economic system and the possibilities of reinterpreting them. Her paintings are created in part using plant-based nail polish in the colors of banknotes, while her stainless-steel works are fired using bio-propane gas. She addresses questions of value, capital, social inequality, and sustainability.
For the olfactory work “Eau du capitalisme,” Mackenroth commissioned ChatGPT to design the smell of capitalism. And among many other works, visitors can discover the “gender asterisk” — now banned in certain forms of official language — embedded as a metal object hammered into the walls of the exhibition spaces.
At the conclusion of the exhibition, visitors can purchase “BABYLONIAN BLACK,” a nail polish specially developed for KALO — a matte black shade referencing a practice from Babylon around 5,000 years ago, in which dyeing nails with black coal was reserved exclusively for men as a symbol of their elevated social status.
An exhibition by the Bergson Gallery.
The exhibited artworks are available for purchase.
