Jesse Darling's 'The Contractor' exhibition explores art as alienated labor at Molitor Berlin

Jesse Darling's exhibition 'The Contractor' at Molitor in Berlin runs through 8 November 2025, presenting works that frame artmaking as alienated labor. The show includes an eponymous text where Darling writes in third person about showing up for work despite burnout, describing art as reinforcing a war machine but necessary because 'there are kids to feed.' Key works include Contractor I (2025), featuring a welding helmet wrapped in a hessian moneybag with metallic filigree leaves, blending Funk-art aesthetics with labor themes. Das Wirtschaftswunder II (2025) references West Germany's post-war economic miracle through a hybrid painting-sculpture with plaster hands gripping a metal daffodil. Die Familie (2025) presents a pastel drawing on crumpled paper depicting hooded nude figures against houses that resemble arrows, suggesting collective struggle. Epistemologies (Amtsschimmel) (2018/25) displays concrete blocks in administrative binders instead of paper, while Der Ordoliberalismus (Home) features a rotating doll's-house window with protruding fists. The gallery's storefront window is half-covered with painted marks resembling prisoner's tallies. Darling's work combines masks, unreadable objects, and combative elements to explore simultaneous giving and withholding. The exhibition's tone balances pragmatic resignation with determination, addressing how artists contract themselves while protecting their inner selves.