At Berlin's Dittrich & Schlechtriem, Daniel Hölzl's GROUNDED is an arresting convergence of art, architecture, and critical reflection, seamlessly integrated into the gallery’s physical and conceptual fabric.
The exhibition plunges visitors immediately into a visceral dialogue with aviation's latent tensions. The skeletal DA42-VI aircraft suspended precariously at the gallery entrance, titled END-OF-LIFE cycle one, symbolizes the sudden halt and inherent fragility embedded in aviation’s ambitious pursuit of progress.
Descending into the gallery's main space, visitors are met with END-OF-LIFE cycle two, a vast ground installation meticulously replicating Tempelhof Airport’s abandoned runway. Composed entirely of recycled carbon fiber and paraffin wax, this work not only evokes nostalgia for the discontinued airport but also amplifies the haunting afterlife of aviation's industrial remnants. Surrounding this central installation are paintings of carbon and wax, their varied formats subtly mirroring aviation’s visual grammar—from mechanical components to airplane windows—inviting contemplation on technology’s pervasive yet ephemeral presence in our lives.
At the core of Hölzl’s inquiry lies END-OF-LIFE cycle four, a sculpture crafted from aircraft landing gear and tires juxtaposed with an ever-melting paraffin tire. Its gradual disintegration throughout the exhibition poignantly embodies the unsustainable temporality of our petroleum-driven world. Indeed, GROUNDED is not merely about flight; it interrogates our collective reliance on finite resources and the intertwined narratives of technological innovation and global conflict.
Daniel Hölzl's ambitious first solo exhibition is both a critique and a proposal: while laying bare the grotesque outcomes of petroleum dependency, he provokes essential questions about future directions. What alternatives might sustain human flight without environmental devastation? How might we redefine "progress" beyond capitalist imperatives? GROUNDED provides no easy answers, but in the very act of grounding, Hölzl urges a profound re-examination of aviation and the urgent pursuit of sustainability in a post-oil economy.
