Jutta Koether @ DCA, until 21 April

Contemporary German artist Jutta Koether and French classicist Nicolas Poussin may seem an unlikely combination – Poussin’s classical style and eye for detail stand in stark contrast to Koether’s colourful, graffiti-like paintings.  But in Koether’s largest UK exhibition to date, she has taken direct inspiration from the 17th Century artist. Seasons and Sacraments is a response to two series of paintings by Poussin: The Four Seasons and The Seven Sacraments.

In Gallery 1 we encounter Seasons, four large painted canvases mounted on freestanding glass, first exhibited at the Whitney Biennial in 2012. Placed at angles facing one another, Koether’s brightly coloured, busy and engaging canvases surround the viewer, creating an intense viewing experience. What’s more, Koether goes beyond the conventional notion of the times of year and transforms them into contemporary seasons relevant for our time, borrowing themes from the worlds of fashion and economics. 

Gallery 2 holds part two of the exhibition, Sacraments. Poussin’s series depicts the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, respectively titled Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Penance, Ordination and Extreme Unction. Koether takes each in turn and creates her own responses through a variety of installations. Confirmation is presented as a triptych of liquid acrylics attached to a huge sheet of glass, each spouting or encasing a number of intriguing objects such as copper piping, feathers and a gold bar. Likewise, Baptism is not a religious scene, but one of Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel – clearly referencing a more secular form of worship in our times. 

Although her distinctive style is far removed from Poussin’s, Koether’s starting point is with traditional subject matter. The artist has made this accessible and relevant in an exhibition that is both intriguing and thought provoking. [Katie Rice]