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gatekeepers | natacha donzé

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  • gatekeepers

    natacha donzé
  • This viewing room accompanies Natacha Donzé's first solo show at max goelitz in Berlin. In gatekeepers Natacha Donzé refers to...

    This viewing room accompanies Natacha Donzé's first solo show at max goelitz in Berlin. In gatekeepers Natacha Donzé refers to political, social, and cultural structures that manifest themselves in the architecture of public spaces, as well as through information transfers. The title gatekeepers metaphorically describes the manifold activities that control or restrict access. 

    Natacha Donzé approaches this subject through painting, creating an exhibition that unveils new dimensions, raises questions about temporality, corporeality, and power, and demonstrates how these issues play out in physical space, as well as through digital information transfer. 

     

    Detailed photos and further information on the individual works can be accessed by clicking on the images.

     

    All Photos: Marjorie Brunet Plaza | unless otherwise stated 

  • In her paintings, Swiss artist Natacha Donzé (*1991 in Boudevilliers, CH) deconstructs power structures of institutional, political and commercial systems...

    In her paintings, Swiss artist Natacha Donzé (*1991 in Boudevilliers, CH) deconstructs power structures of institutional, political and commercial systems of our time by taking up fragments of these orders and embedding them in her visual worlds without hierarchy. She combines pop culture quotes, such as architectural elements from films, with scientifically influenced images and brings them to the canvas by means of meticulous brushwork and air brush technique. Instead of treating the surface as an interface to the illusory pictorial space, the focus shifts to the surface of the canvas, on which, in turn, dimensionless spaces unfold. In strong color, the artist explores the influence of humans on their environment and creates interfaces between our own reality and an imaginary representational space in her paintings.

     

     

    Photo: Mathilda Olmi

  • 'The idea of seduction, beauty or attraction is something we have inherited and always look for in pictures. This historical...

    "The idea of seduction, beauty or attraction is something we have inherited and always look for in pictures. This historical heritage creates an emotional connection to painting – that excites me!"


    - Natacha Donzé

     

    Interview with Gallerytalk.net

     

    Installation view Festins, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021) | Photo: Julien Gremaud

  • Using an airbrush in her large-sized paintings Natacha Donzé creates multi-layered works in her series Gatekeeper I–IV in which different...

    Using an airbrush in her large-sized paintings Natacha Donzé creates multi-layered works in her series Gatekeeper I–IV in which different textures atmospherically overlie each other. Bright specks seem to free themselves from the dark canvases and rise up. This generates an effect of depth in which foreground and background cannot be clearly defined. Marks of running drops of water are layered onto the whole canvas and are perceived as a would-be patina that evokes the appearance of oxidized copper, lending the images a sculptural quality.

  • Like colossal portals that are in the process of opening or closing, Gatekeeper I–IV refer to spatial separation as well...

    Like colossal portals that are in the process of opening or closing, Gatekeeper I–IV refer to spatial separation as well as to the connection between realities in an eternal context. A turquoise ray of light or laser beam in the top half of the pieces breaks with the patina and builds a bridge to the present or the future, in which portals stand for barriers and access points to other spheres.

     

    Donzé addresses the question of gatekeeping and points to the varied activities that control or restrict access. This can mean a physical door but can just as well mean the influence of humans or of digital search engines (exclusion by algorithm), firewalls (geofencing of information), social structures (institutions) or physical manifestations of virtual spaces (border walls). The artist plays with different levels of perception that raise questions concerning boundaries and affiliation while simultaneously floating in timeless and boundless atmosphere.

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  • The surface of Natacha Donzé’s round canvas Spinning eye, monument with its layered shades of blue color developes a strong...

    The surface of Natacha Donzé’s round canvas Spinning eye, monument with its layered shades of blue color developes a strong pull and at the same time a cool cosmic atmosphere. From the centre outward spiral circles move to the edge of the piece and seem to gather there like bubbles, unable to escape. Donzé uses the spiral as a symbol of belief systems and unfathomable phenomena. The layering of various hues of blue gives the impression of expanse and depth, creating a boundless space in the centre. 

  • This deep color reminds one of cinematographical pictures or color codes of corporate identities while simultaneously representing a hypnotic vortex,...

    This deep color reminds one of cinematographical pictures or color codes of corporate identities while simultaneously representing a hypnotic vortex, circling through time and space, allowing access to different dimensions. The artist paints highly detailed and bright particles onto the canvas that seem to sit on the surface like microorganisms that have escaped the image. This iconographic complexity is typical for Donzé's work. With it's help she questions political, commercial and institutional systems, also today’s customary views while embedding fragments thereof in her imagery.

  • The round painting Spinning eye, excavation develops a hypnotic effect with its deep shades of blue. This is augmented by...

    The round painting Spinning eye, excavation develops a hypnotic effect with its deep shades of blue. This is augmented by the hazy contours of the depicted grid. By using spray paint and applying numerous coats, the artist creates the illusion of a vibrating image thus lending a transient component, counterbalancing the strict geometric forms with the semblance of aerial atmosphere. Depth and space behind the grid is suggested with the use of lambent flames that seem to disperse into smoke on the image's surface. This space remains inaccessible for the beholder and it is unclear if the structure was created as a protective boundary. The impression that other elements remain underneath is augmented by the layering of coats that in a certain lighting reveals spiralling circles pushing up through the paint. In this way Donzé is able to convey a temporality that is inscribed in the painting and that – apart from the cosmic blue – is also expressed by the effect of transient atmosphere.

    In Spinning eye, excavation Donzé uses architectural features that have confining qualities and act as physical or social barriers. At the same time her paintings make it possible to mentally experience other realities, thus themselves becoming portals.

  • Installation view Festins, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021) | Photo: Julien Gremaud (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view Festins, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021) | Photo: Julien Gremaud (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view Festins, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021) | Photo: Julien Gremaud (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view Festins, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021) | Photo: Julien Gremaud (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view Festins, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021) | Photo: Julien Gremaud (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view Festins, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021) | Photo: Julien Gremaud (View more details about this item in a popup).

    Installation view Festins, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021) | Photo: Julien Gremaud

  • The paintings Repository, scattering seeds, Repository, preserved remains, Repository, polarization and Repository, coordinates are each composed of four canvases that...

    The paintings Repository, scattering seeds, Repository, preserved remains, Repository, polarization and Repository, coordinates are each composed of four canvases that Natacha Donzé combines to one piece in a single dark green or chestnut brown frame. This creates the impression of a split screen, showing various atmospheric situations and textures simultaneously. In her work the artist often refers to images that are not visible to the naked eye and that originate from technologies that alter or enhance human sight. Night vision cameras, thermographical techniques and other such devices are often developed for military or scientific use to visualise what is concealed from the human eye. Through films and other pop-cultural usage these images become familiar aesthetics that have a great impact on our habitual views. 

  • Repository, polarization sets a process of image recognition in motion, because the motifs seem familiar on the one hand but...

    Repository, polarization sets a process of image recognition in motion, because the motifs seem familiar on the one hand but on the other cannot be exactly attributed. Donzé is interested in the disconnect between real motifs through abstraction: this in a first step takes place through technology and subsequently through the hand of the artist. Layering during the painting process, specially selected colors, flowing textures and cuttings of images help the pieces to develop mystical and digital elements at the same time.

  • Natacha Donzé, Repository, preserved remains, 2023 (View more details about this item in a popup).
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    Natacha Donzé, Repository, polarization, 2023 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Natacha Donzé, Repository, scattering seeds, 2023 (View more details about this item in a popup).
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    Natacha Donzé, Repository, preserved remains, 2023

  • 'Natacha Donzé sees painting as a space where the shared references and notions of our era can be deconstructed using...

    "Natacha Donzé sees painting as a space where the shared references and notions of our era can be deconstructed using both ancient and contemporary iconographic elements."

     

    - Mousse Magazine


    Installation view Barbe à Papa, CAPC musée d‘art contemporain de Bordeaux (2022) | Photo: Arthur Péquin

  • The painting Magnetic sleep stands out through its complex layering of varied textures. Each level remains visible and tangible through...

    The painting Magnetic sleep stands out through its complex layering of varied textures. Each level remains visible and tangible through each overlying coat of paint. The hazy red-greenish base is partially covered with a swirling stream that in turn shines through the blue coat that descends over the area. This is the source of a blue spiral swirl – its texture of fine speckles spreading over the whole painting. Bright and misty plumes connect the divided parts and evoke cosmic or thermal phenomena. Into this scenery Donzé sets three similar round shapes next to each other, that stand out against the rest and seem to float in front of the painting like voids.

     

    Instead of using the surface as a gateway to the illusory image space, Magnetic sleep focuses on the canvas on which fathomless spheres unfold. The artist skillfully plays with different layers of perception, evoking questions about boundaries and belonging while at the same time floating in a boundless galactical atmosphere. 

  • Mundus Subterraneus is a large-sized painting that is precisely divided into two parts, giving the impression that the lower part...

    Mundus Subterraneus is a large-sized painting that is precisely divided into two parts, giving the impression that the lower part is overlapping the upper part, the only connection being a fine line that snakes its way through both areas. Natacha Donzé douses the larger part in a deep and varying blue, on which fine luminescent lines are arranged like thermal structures. In the lower half she places three dark blue and slightly oval circles that give the impression of an underlying surface. The precise repetition of the shape gives the painting a technical character. Underneath there are tiny luminescent particles that seem to correlate with the holes and are in the process of spreading over the painting. The lines, colors and shapes evoke movement on the whole canvas and a seemingly ever-shifting atmosphere.

     

    The title Mundus Subterraneus refers to a scientific volume by Athanasius Kircher, that was published in 1665 and that represents the understanding of the earth at that time with written descriptions and illustrations. All of Donzé's works have a temporal level in common that is inscribed in the textures of her paintings, revealing her research into perception mechanisms that are defined by the knowledge and technology of the respective times. 

  • Installation view soft shell, Kunsthaus Langenthal (2020) | Photo: C.E. (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view Body Care, DIT, Vienna (2022) | Photo: Kunstdokumentation.com (View more details about this item in a popup).
    (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view soft shell, Kunsthaus Langenthal (2020) | Photo: C.E. (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view chasing another tomorrow, max goelitz (2021) | Photo: Dirk Tacke (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view inventing the past, max goelitz(2021) | Photo: Dirk Tacke (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view The empire and the mansion, Milieu, Bern (2018) | Photo: Milieu (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Installation view The empire and the mansion, Milieu, Bern (2018) | Photo: Milieu (View more details about this item in a popup).

    Installation view soft shell, Kunsthaus Langenthal (2020) | Photo: C.E.

  • natacha donzé

  • Solo exhibitions of the artist's work have been shown most recently at Kunst(Zeug)Haus in Rapperswil-Jona (2022), Musée des Beaux-Arts in...

    Solo exhibitions of the artist's work have been shown most recently at Kunst(Zeug)Haus in Rapperswil-Jona (2022), Musée des Beaux-Arts in La Chaux-de-Fonds (2021), and Unit110 in New York (2018). Her work has been exhibited in group shows at the MCBA in Lausanne (2023), the Kunstmuseum Appenzell as part of the Vordemberge-Gildewart Fellowship (2023), CAPC Bordeaux (2022), and Hagiwara Projects in Tokyo (2021), among others. In 2023, Natacha Donzé was nominated for the Swiss Art Awards in Basel. In 2019, the artist received the Kiefer Halblitzel Prize for Young Artists, and in 2018 she was also awarded the Young Artist Prize of the Museum of Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which is awarded as part of the Biennale of Contemporary Art.

     

    Installation view Governmental Fires, Futura, Prague (2021) | Photo: Futura

  • 'The relationship to authority, to the idea of power, was always problematic for me. And it finally brought me to...

    "The relationship to authority, to the idea of power, was always problematic for me. And it finally brought me to art. Because it’s a space, a place, where one can pose questions, take time to reflect and be able to criticize or discuss in a way that is truly personal."

     

    - Natacha Donzé

     

     

    Installation view Kunst(Zeug)Haus, Rapperswil-Jona (2022) | Photo: Julien Gremaud

  • → to the artist page Natacha Donzé → Portfolio (german) Photo: Mathilda Olmi

    → to the artist page Natacha Donzé

     

    → Portfolio (german)

     

     

    Photo: Mathilda Olmi

  • available works

    for further information click on the photos
    • Natacha Donzé, Spinning eye, monument, 2023
      Natacha Donzé, Spinning eye, monument, 2023
    • Natacha Donzé, Gatekeeper I, 2023
      Natacha Donzé, Gatekeeper I, 2023
    • Natacha Donzé, Gatekeeper II, 2023
      Natacha Donzé, Gatekeeper II, 2023
    • Natacha Donzé, Gatekeeper IV, 2023
      Natacha Donzé, Gatekeeper IV, 2023
  • natacha donzé at max goelitz

    • gatekeepers | natacha donzé
      Exhibitions

      gatekeepers | natacha donzé

      10 March - 15 April 2023 Berlin
      In her first solo show gatekeepers at max goelitz in Berlin, Natacha Donzé refers to political, social and cultural structures that manifest themselves in the architecture of public spaces, as...
    • art düsseldorf 2023
      Viewing rooms

      art düsseldorf 2023

      31 March - 2 April 2023
      max goelitz presents a dialogue between current works by Natacha Donzé, Lou Jaworski, Rindon Johnson, Brigitte Kowanz, Haroon Mirza, Jürgen Partenheimer and Troika within a multimedia installation at Art Düsseldorf...
    • artissima 2022
      Viewing rooms

      artissima 2022

      4 - 6 November 2022
      For its first participation at Artissima, max goelitz creates a dialogue between recent works by Niko Abramidis &NE , Natacha Donzé and Haroon Mirza , which thematically address the guiding...
    • inventing the past | group show
      Exhibitions

      inventing the past | group show

      10 September - 23 October 2021 Munich
      The international group exhibition inventing the past with Neïl Beloufa, Natacha Donzé, Lou Jaworski, Haroon Mirza and Keith Sonnier follows closely on the heels of the show chasing another tomorrow...
    • art cologne 2021
      Viewing rooms

      art cologne 2021

      17 - 21 November 2021
      max goelitz freut sich auf der Art Cologne 2021 neue Werke von Niko Abramidis &NE, Natacha Donzé, Brigitte Kowanz und Lou Jaworski zu präsentieren. Auch zur diesjährigen Messe führen wir...
    • chasing another tomorrow | group show
      Exhibitions

      chasing another tomorrow | group show

      2 July - 31 August 2021 Munich
      The international group exhibition chasing another tomorrow with works by Neïl Beloufa, Natacha Donzé, Haroon Mirza and Keith Sonnier is devoted to questions about different visions of the future and...

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