A Drone Painting| Black Square on white ground

video performance, 2,6 K video, 2`56min, 2016

In 1858 the French photographer Nadar took the first photography from above, flying in a tethered balloon. For the first time the central perspective of the 15th century is questioned; the new perspective transforms the earth into an ornamental surface, all familiar reference points are barely identifiable. Johanna Reichs video „A Drone Painting | Black Square on White Ground“ shows a green landscape from above. A drone camera records the black clothed artist while painting a „black square on a white background.“ The view from above creates a distance – the viewer can oversee everything. His eyes can scan the surfaces of the image taking a panoptic position. By the anachronistic act of painting, however, the artist disappears in front of the drone camera.