Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 1049 Since the borders between genres have been set into motion, the nature of art has changed. Painting, photography, and sculpture are entering into new nexuses and facilitating new experiences that inspire our thoughts. Simon Raab is one of the artists who have once again jettisoned traditional structures to turn the wheel of art a bit further. In his works, three-dimensional form and traditional painting are brought together resulting in a completely new form he calls Parleau which merges painting and sculpture. As the world has become even more globalized, so has our awareness.—Our perception of what is happening at distant locations around the world has been heightened. At the same time, we are forced to recognize that our world is becoming increasingly fragmented, like a puzzle whose pieces do not really fit comfortably into one another. The world as a whole, and as a fragment, determines our world- view today and Raab finds the artistic expression that corresponds to this change through his powerful works that narrate it. From the artist’s vantage point, images emerge that seem to have no cohesion. They are, however, images of our everyday life, central images and images of collective memories, which Raab creates in a manner that highlights them in the same way as our perception does. All this does not occur without wit or irony. The sheets of metal that form the distorting mirror for his art are deformed with a powerful physical exertion. Those who have once tried to find their way through an old-fashioned house of mirrors are able to understand Raab’s artistic strategy to some extent. Looking at Raab’s art, we are like the blind or confused. As we try to orientate ourselves in the world, we continuously push against our limits and constantly have to define ourselves anew. Raab gives artistic expression to this feeling; the interplay of mechanically wrought sheets of metal and traditional painting brings an entirely distinct artistic cosmos into being. Raab works with both figurative and abstract or non-representational pictorial strategies. A kaleidoscope of artistic possibilities unfolds before the eye of the viewer in images of great impact and visual sustain- ability. The Mannheimer Kunstverein is indebted to Simon Raab as well as to the Galerie Peter Zimmerman for their great dedication, without which, the exhibition could not have been realized. Simon Raab—From behind these Bars Martin Stather Dr. Martin Stather is director of the Mannheimer Kunstverein.