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Invitation to the opening of “Revisiting Irving Berlin” by Diane Jodes & Robert Hall, Friday November 20, 2009
The Consul General of Luxembourg Mr. François Knaff & Mrs. Carine Knaff-Feipel cordially invite you to the opening of “Revisiting Irving Berlin” Drawings, Prints & Sculptures By Diane Jodes & Robert Hall on Friday, November 20, 20096:00 – 8:00 p.m.
RSVP by November 19, 2009Tel: (1-212) 888-6664 – laurence.pierron@mae.etat.l
Diane Jodes was born in Steinfort, Luxembourg. Her work is inspired by places, people, memories and dreams, to mention just a few. She combines a variety of media, such as printmaking (“fil rouge” in her art), collage, painting, photography, sewing or even crocheting to best illustrate her ideas. Themes like life-cycles, water, flying, etc have been illustrated through series of swimmers, winged creatures, habitats and leaves.
When asked about “her varying styles” Diane likes to claim that nothing can be more limiting to her than making variations of one piece. She likes to think that possibilities are limitless within one’s capacity and thought range, and she will make full use of them, to convey her ideas to the viewer.
Diane keeps looking at “the bright side of life”, combining “inconvenient truths”and “enchanted stories” and turns them into the way she sees, understands, and misunderstands the world. Her art is not meant to change the world but rather to put a smile on the viewers face in times of stress.
“The Luxembourg House represents a great opportunity and challenge, with its past and present history.
I am thrilled and honor to be able to work within such an inspiring frame work.
Irving Berlin, music, dance, glamour, New York-Luxembourg, the great depression, the world financial crisis, are just a few of the things that crossed my mind when I started to work on this project. “Can you use any money today? How true that fits into today’s world troubles”.
Diane Jodes, September 2009
Robert Hall was born in Neptune, New Jersey and has been living in Luxembourg since 1987. He has exhibited his drawings, prints and sculptures, as well as site-specific work in Luxembourg, France, England and America. “Simply put, I enjoy looking at things, and I make what appeals to me. Drawing plays a very important role. I am attracted to forms which have outsides and insides, such as cages, boxes, cocoons, the crowns of trees and natural cells. Skins and textures hold my interest, as well as weathering and layering processes. I want to make work that carries some power to draw associations.”
Reflective and understated, Robert makes choices about materials carefully, in hopes of finding the best materials for the job. He has used stone, tracing paper, wood, rubber, wire, voile and clay in his work, occasionally employing sound. Juxtaposing materials and images are important considerations. Robert’s site-specific pieces develop from his research into the historical, functional and associative aspects of a site. Some of his documented works in this vein will be on view at the exhibition. Robert has explored aspects of Irving Berlin’s life and his time and presents a set of related drawings for the Luxembourg House, with his wife of 20 years, Diane Jodes. Together, they also present a selection of music from Mr. Berlin and his contemporaries.
“I relied heavily on photographs for this exhibition, for researching the past and responding in the present. I made intuitive choices about the content and pairings and tried to add something personal in how the pieces were made. Intuitive and mechanical, I suppose.
Irving Berlin was a remarkable man, and late 19th to early 20th century, America is a fascinating era. I grew up listening to my musical parents singing and playing the songs of Berlin, Gershwin, Porter and others. In grammar school we sang songs of Foster and in high school played the marches of Sousa. Reading, viewing images and listening to music from this period, in particular that of Irving Berlin, has reawakened my identity as an American, understanding better where we have come from.”
Robert Hall, October 2009