Cosmo Großbach
cosmo.grossbach@gmail.com
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Biography
Cosmo Großbach, born 1997 in Hamburg, works and lives in Leipzig, Germany. He was the co-founder of the artist residency Oma Taidetalo, which took place 2021 in south Karelia, Finland. In 2020 he had his first solo exhibition Øygarden in Düsseldorf, for which he received a project scholarship. In 2022 followed his second solo-exhibition at Asbestos Gallery in Helsinki. In his artistic practice he combines the medias analogue photography, weaving, typography and bookbinding. He is creating with his installations safe spaces for visitors, to fully immerse themselves in the emotions of the viewed work. Topics such as belonging and relationships, whether between people, places or our environment are central foci. The materiality of the works are of great importance and are often a play between traditional analogue photography and experiments in the darkroom. The ambiguity between tradition and experimentation is allowing the viewer to gain new perspectives without aggressiveness or blame. Overall, despite the emotionality of the works, calmness dominates. Since 2017 he is a student at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig, Photography. During his studies he was an exchange student at the University of Bergen and Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki.
Artist Statement
Cosmo Großbach starts his projects by questioning, extending and reflecting upon photography. During his process he is considering the weight of the materials used, researching what they can evoke. With combining photography with typography and bookbinding his works build into immersive site-specific installations and books.
While he started with a more personal angle discussing topics like trans identity in Dokumente, his methods evolved into a more facetted research upon our relationship to our surrounding as in Øygarden. With the more difficult topics at times, it is important for him to create a space where the viewer feels comfortable to think and feel. A focus and aim within his works is for the viewer to build a close relationships to the materials and topics.
cosmo.grossbach@gmail.com
Biography
Cosmo Großbach, born 1997 in Hamburg, works and lives in Leipzig, Germany. He was the co-founder of the artist residency Oma Taidetalo, which took place 2021 in south Karelia, Finland. In 2020 he had his first solo exhibition Øygarden in Düsseldorf, for which he received a project scholarship. In 2022 followed his second solo-exhibition at Asbestos Gallery in Helsinki. In his artistic practice he combines the medias analogue photography, weaving, typography and bookbinding. He is creating with his installations safe spaces for visitors, to fully immerse themselves in the emotions of the viewed work. Topics such as belonging and relationships, whether between people, places or our environment are central foci. The materiality of the works are of great importance and are often a play between traditional analogue photography and experiments in the darkroom. The ambiguity between tradition and experimentation is allowing the viewer to gain new perspectives without aggressiveness or blame. Overall, despite the emotionality of the works, calmness dominates. Since 2017 he is a student at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig, Photography. During his studies he was an exchange student at the University of Bergen and Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki.
Artist Statement
Cosmo Großbach starts his projects by questioning, extending and reflecting upon photography. During his process he is considering the weight of the materials used, researching what they can evoke. With combining photography with typography and bookbinding his works build into immersive site-specific installations and books.
While he started with a more personal angle discussing topics like trans identity in Dokumente, his methods evolved into a more facetted research upon our relationship to our surrounding as in Øygarden. With the more difficult topics at times, it is important for him to create a space where the viewer feels comfortable to think and feel. A focus and aim within his works is for the viewer to build a close relationships to the materials and topics.