Paul Kolling: Westward

Trade has been going on since time immemorial. And even if the financial sector has increasingly digitalised trade and even shifted it into virtual space, large quantities of goods are still transported daily from producers to end consumers all over the world. The ancient Silk Road stands as a legendary symbol not only for the transfer of trade but also of cultural goods. In contrast, the so-called New Silk Road does not evoke romantic ideas beyond pure market interests. Largely financed and driven by China, it connects the People's Republic with its markets.

In his solo exhibition "Westward", Paul Kolling deals with the complexity of the Eurasian freight transport network. In a joint research with filmmaker Jack Wolf, he traced the actual circumstances of this hardly tangible, global flow of goods. Information on the train route is hardly known so far, except for a few transshipment points and central transport times. Several works were created based on Kolling's research of the northern transport route. In the film installation "Break of Gauge" Kolling attempts to counter the lack of route information by means of publicly accessible satellite images, which he digitally assembled into a panorama of the route. Exposed on 35mm film, the film strip moves across the room by means of motors and is repeatedly projected onto screens.

Last edited on 20.01.2025