It's been said that great art needs no translation -- but when the Rourke gallery asked Moritz Gotze to come here, they probably had to ask for a little help.
"My translator," laughs Gotze when asked how his trip to Fargo-Moorhead might influence his work when he returns to Leipzig, Germany. Still, he pulls it off: "I am become many energy from the pictures," he says, describing the works by Warhol and Picasso he saw at the great museums in New York. "I am back at home in three weeks, and I have much painting."
The thing is, now that Gotze and his gallerist Joerke Rothamel are here after a year's worth of planning, in many ways, they fit right in. Thanks in part to the images full of bison and blondes, and in part because a lot of folks here hailed from Germany, once upon a time.
"We bought pants, shoes, shirts," says Rothamel, describing a recent shopping trip in Fargo. "Each time the seller would say, 'oh, I have German roots.' It was so nce!'"
If you do go to the show, the first image you'll see as you walk into the gallery is one instantly recognizable to anyone who's ever had an American history textbook, It's based on the famous "Washington Crossing the Delaware," the original of which hangs in New York.
"It's an iconic image turned on its head. People will enjoy seeing the details -- he's got a laptop, the boat has a motor," has gallery Executive Director Tania Blanich. "I think Moritz's work is very effective in that way. We recognize something of ourselves."
Gotze points out the original painter was German, as well. In this, Rothamel says, the huge enamel piece, like the rest of the show, is a crossing of cultures as well as a "crossing" by boat. A crossing, in more ways than one, that doubles back on itself. "Moritz is a pop artist -- that's an American art form."
If you want to go, the show starts Saturday at one, with an artist's talk at two on Sunday. The show runs through January 20th.
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