Berlin based artist Phillip Zach (*1984) combines both fiction and
documentary strategies in his image- and text-based chimerical works
based on a mix of media - photography, graphic design, film and sculpture.
In his latest works he investigates peculiarities of journalistic
language such as subconscious manipulation; ways of generating
'Importance' and opinion making. Typically, Zach uses text fragments
together with ironic or negative connotation which, cut out of their
original context and transferred into an artificial 2D image
environment, evoke an ambivalent impression as the facts seem to be
pointed out, but a conclusion at the same time remains open.
To confuse the viewer might be a part of Zach’s dark humour, but also
a resistance to categorisation and categories existing in and through
language.
Remains of different steps of production let some of Zach’s work
appear as unfinished while other works are skipping the main part of
representation and only exist as ‘catalogue pages’ from a non-existent
catalogue.
Zach also collects film stills with text elements on them. These can
be seen as a documentary part of his work, yet they also function as
templates for his photos.
Besides formal quotations of other language-working artists such as
Larry Johnson’s or Ed Ruscha Zach considers himself influenced by the
Austrian poet Erst Jandl who coined the term visual poetry.
Jakov Lloyd Goldstein, 2009
