Tracey Moffatt‘s works deal with existential themes like sexuality and power, birth and death, yearnings, dreams and memories. „I am not concerned with capturing reality, i‘m concerned with creating it myself.“ The 19-part series Laudanum is embedded in the historical and athmospheric ambience of a turn-of-the-century colonical mansion. A white „mistress“ and her Aborigine servant are tormenting and subjugating one another in sensual reverie or the throes of obsessive ecstasy. Moffat‘s expressive athmospheric portrait of a morbid fin-de-siècle society, whose hysterical manifestations and decline is closely related to the narcotic laudanum, was inspired by an erotic tale.

(source: B.Reinhardt, „Creating One‘s Own Reality“, in Tracey Moffat, Hatje Cantz 1999)

In the exhibition at VAN HORN the images of Laudanum and the video-piece LOVE from 2003 encounter each other. The theme of LOVE is the relationship between man and woman. Beginning with the first feeling of love and intoxication the choreography of the piece leads us through separation and hate to violence and murder, the last picture being the beginning of a new start for the round dance. This archetypical tale is told through very suggestive edited cut-outs from movies and even enhanced through the use of emotionally charged music.

Both works have in common that they show the hierarchy of relationships, depict passion, violence and power-play and so display the strongest motivations for any kind of human doings.

Tracey Moffatt *1960 Brisbane, Australia, exhibited in galleries and institutions worldwide. a.o. her works were to be seen on the Venice Biennale; Bienal de Sao Paulo; PS1, New York; Kunstmuseum Bonn; Kunsthalle Nürnberg; Tate Liverpool; Schirn Frankfurt; Dia Art Center, NY; Kunsthalle Wien and much more