Rachel Maclean

14 February to 6 September 2020

Kunsthalle zu Kiel was showing the first solo exhibition in Germany by the multimedia artist Rachel Maclean (born in 1987, Scotland). Using digital video, virtual-reality and photographic technology, Maclean creates powerful narratives set in garishly colourful fantasy worlds. Her funny, scathing satires on contemporary life cite fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood and the children’s book The Wind in the Willows. Wearing outlandish costumes and elaborate make-up, the artist almost always plays the various characters in her works herself. Her distinctive compositions address topics such as nationalism, social changes in virtual space, gender images and consumer behaviour. The exhibition featured HD video projections, a VR installation and digital paintings.

For the first time in Europe, the Kunsthalle was also showing Rachel Maclean’s latest work Native Animals (2019). The Kunsthalle zu Kiel has received the Artist Proof as a gift from Rachel Maclean. Other works in the exhibition explored images of femininity, the power of advertising and the phenomenon of cuteness, which has become a ubiquitous part of our everyday culture.