Ralf Kokke: Blue Blossom Lions

In his latest solo exhibition at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Ralf Kokke transports us into a twilight world bathed in blue. This is a realm of communality and pleasure, where people gather to rest, make music, and bathe in harmony with nature. The exhibition’s title, Blue Blossom Lions, alludes to the recurring presence of lions in Kokke’s dreams – guardians of his inner world and symbols of power and strength. In these paintings, predators of various kinds become guides, leading both artist and viewer through the composition while retaining their mystery and wildness.

 

As a child, Kokke grappled with the vividness of his imagination, which conjured both magical dreams and intense nightmares. Painting became a means not only of control but also of expansion, largely centring around the concept of paradise, which for Kokke, is linked to a feeling of safety and security as well as a oneness with nature. While his previous works focused more closely on the characters or animals who occupied his dream world, in this series they are secondary to the environment that surrounds them. We are drawn into lush, forest landscapes where figures and animals are glimpsed between trees, or lounging in a secluded glade. The colours and characteristics of the landscapes are inspired by those of Northern Europe but also borrow from the tropes of fairy tales to evoke a sense of magic and unease.

 

On the surface, these are all scenes of repose, but an undercurrent of tensions lingers. Take, for instance, the painting in which two figures sit on the banks of a river, playing the guitar. Around them, the world seems to pause, expectant: a tiger rests further down the river, its mouth slightly ajar; birds sit motionless in the trees; the sun burns a deep red. Elsewhere, a snake coils around the trunk and branches of a tree, poised to strike while in another work it is a swan that becomes the uncanny presence, emerging from behind a tree in the foreground while in the distance, figures bathe in the bend of a glassy river.

 

We could endlessly unpick the art historical references and symbolisms in these works, but Kokke is more interested in the suggestiveness of colour and line – how they shape the gaze and play with collective memory to create moments of familiarity and intrigue, tension and calm. This is not an act of deception but an invitation. The rough texture of chalk paint lends the works a raw, almost primal quality, while depictions of water and impressions of softness in the leaves of the trees and grass evoke a strong sensuality the softness of leaves and grass evoke a visceral sensuality – a language both universal and deeply rooted in the body.