Structures and systems of order are the predominant themes of Berlin based artist Menno Aden (*1972), known for his cartographic photographic works. Aden's photo series deal topographically and analytically with our built environment. Although mostly absent, his works always show traces of the human being.
A system of horizontal lines into which the gestures of industrial robots have inscribed themselves. For the series Assembly Lines, Menno Aden uses a scanner, as used in industry for quality control, to record movements of robots, making visible data that is usually read out only by machine. The images become uncanny machine portraits from the perspective of another machine.
The series refers to the "Outdatedness of Human Beings" in the modern working environment, which was already recognized by the philosopher Günther Anders in the 1950s.
Exhibition view, LAGE EGAL, 2020