In a double exhibition, the Folkwang Museum Essen and the Leonhardi Museum Dresden presented works by Jan Brokof, born in 1977. In doing so, they are focussing attention on an artist of the younger generation who has dedicated himself to the graphic arts in a special way. Brokof's woodcuts in particular demonstrate his innovative approach to this traditional technique, which he has taken into three-dimensionality with works such as the 1:1 scale reproduction of "Jugendzimmer". With works such as "Jugendzimmer", Jan Brokof focuses on his own life experiences in a prefabricated housing estate in Schwedt and questions the interactions between the built environment and the lives of its inhabitants. The collages and colour woodcuts he has recently created bring socio-political aspects even more to the fore. Jan Brokof created two large-format paper collages especially for the presentation at the Leonhardi Museum. The artist worked in a studio situation directly on site, in the large hall of the museum. "It's like improvisation," he says. "A picture grows from a sketched basic idea. You get involved with what happens in the room. There are moments of failure and failure, but also surprising, exhilarating moments."
