Pilotenkueche International Artist Residency in Leipzig, Germany, round 45. An independent program by artists for artists, this residency aims to support the local art scene and to connect it to international artists. PK strives to create a communal space for experimental collaboration and discourse between participants, as well as with the greater Leipzig community.
For Big Soft Illusion, the group exhibition for the residency, Dietrich created a mixed-media mural titled “Touch”. As confirmed in a social-distanced event produced in September, the audience experienced moments of intimacy within new boundaries and were able to deepen existing connections to those they already know. Feeling touched by each other without physically touching, the space between people was metaphorically lessened by connection.
This piece served as a preservation of the collective memory of those who attended a social-distanced queer event in the summer of 2020. Through monochrome snapshots of friends and collaborators, gestural mark-making and vibrant abstract shapes, the piece conveys the warmth and energy of the experience.
