Brigitte Mahlknecht’s drawings always elevate the observer to a raised, superlative, almost orbital point of view. From this vantage point, we see forms and figures which seeem to fly, futuristic architectonic structures and intermeshing lines resembling construction grids, or perhaps lines of movement or flight. The orbital perspective immediatly calls to mind images from a shared store of pop culture—from fantasy of science fiction films, for example.
Mahlknecht’s drawings seem to record excerpts from an imaginary orbital flyover. However, the ground is not taken out from under the observer’s feet entirely. The lines of perspective in the cartographic grids which run through all of her work always lead to a horizon which—unlike in actual cartography—is to be found within the frame of the picture. Orbital and cartographic points of view alternate and merge with elevated (ground) visibility. In this way, Mahlknecht is able to combine surveillance with side views in her pictures and drawings of imaginary landscapes. Two different modes of looking, or rather of representation, converge and fuse into one observatory focus: we look down on the imaginary landscape at the same time as we look into it.
