The "You Me" exhibition at Schinkel Pavillon is a fascinating exploration between Jill Mulleady and Henry Taylor.

"You Me" exhibition at Schinkel Pavillon 2024, Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth, Photo: Frank Sperling, 2024.

By MELIS SEVEN May 17, 2024 

The "You Me" exhibition at Schinkel Pavillon is a fascinating exploration of the friendship and artistic collaboration between Jill Mulleady and Henry Taylor. The exhibition showcases the unique perspectives of both artists while observing themes such as identity and self-representation. Henry Taylor's paintings capture the essence of the human condition through vibrant colors and dynamic compositions, while Mulleady's paintings depict intimacy through the combination of interiors and nude female figures. Furthermore, the addition of historical works on paper by Käthe Kollwitz, Otto Dix, and Marcel Duchamp provides insight into the pieces and enhances the overall experience.

I was captivated by Henry Taylor's vivid and poignant paintings as soon as I entered the exhibition. Taylor is well-known for his straightforward and expressive brushstrokes that capture the essence of the human condition. His vibrant colors and dynamic compositions made me want to take a closer step to the painting and observe even more carefully. Being face-to-face with the artist's bold style of painting, I realized how he rejects the rules of traditional painting and focuses on putting something that resonates with him. A painting that I found intriguing in Taylor’s collection was Michelle (2023) which portrays the former First Lady Michelle Obama as a symbol of national significance. The scale of the figure is like an open invitation for interpretations. The main thoughts that crossed my mind were power and intimidation. Furthermore, looking at the choice of shades with the colors white and gold, the color of the dress was what grabbed my attention initially with its high pigment. After the first glance of the white, my eye was guided towards the luxurious but bold usage of the color gold which lies on the background of the figure. Whether portraying cheerful, sorrowful, or protesting moments, encountering Taylor's art encouraged me to interact with life's complexity and consider one aspect of life that everyone shares, humanity.

 Installation view, Henry Taylor, Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth, Photo: Frank Sperling, 2024.

In the upper exhibition room, I was faced with the series of Jill Mulleady which set the tone of the room to a more intimate one. With the combination of interiors and nude female figures, Mulleady depicts an elusive sense of threat throughout her series. Two works that I thought complemented each other were “Interior/Unmade Bed” (2024) and “Interior/ Nude Seen from Behind” (2024). “Interior/Unmade Bed” shows an unmade bed, with wrinkled sheets suggesting recent occupancy. The unmade bed was the primary aspect of the painting that evoked themes of intimacy, vulnerability, and the passing of time for me. It served as a private space where dreams and emotions unfold. The bed's disorder made me consider the presence of the missing human figure and the activity left behind, suggesting a sense of closeness and even tenderness. “Interior/ Nude Seen from Behind” on the other hand portrays a nude figure from behind lying on a bed. With its back turned to me, I initially thought I was an intruder gazing into her life as an outsider. It felt like the figure was trying to conceal its identity from me, which pushed me to come up with scenarios in my head on what the figure was thinking at that moment. The nude figure, for me, is a representation of the human form, beauty, and vulnerability. Mulleady created a sense of mystery allowing me to speculate about the figure's personal life. Throughout her paintings, the way Mulleady blended the colors and contours of the figures with the interior itself was a technique I noticed that eliminated the boundaries between the subject and the space.

“You Me” made me reconsider the complexities of human existence and self-representation through two different points of view. While Henry Taylor brings high pigment colors with bold brush strokes, Mulleady takes a more intimate and emotionally charged approach by contouring the boundaries between a physical space and a subject. Overall, it is proof of the power of art to provoke thought, create emotion, and encourage unification. WM