Opening: 21 March 2024 | 6 - 9 pm
With works by Donald Baechler, Joseph Beuys, Tony Cragg, Julia Emslander, Ulrich Erben, Jan Fabre, Gregor Hildebrandt, Jannis Kounellis, Olaf Metzel, Matt Mullican, Mimmo Paladino, Julião Sarmento, Ludwig Stalla and Jorinde Voigt.
With works by Donald Baechler, Joseph Beuys, Tony Cragg, Julia Emslander, Ulrich Erben, Jan Fabre, Gregor Hildebrandt, Jannis Kounellis, Olaf Metzel, Matt Mullican, Mimmo Paladino, Julião Sarmento, Ludwig Stalla and Jorinde Voigt.
The eye is not only capable of seeing, but also of grasping things. Material with its structure and texture can be scanned visually and combined with haptic memories to generate an almost complete image of a surface – without ever having touched it. Perception – the gathering and inner processing of information conveyed to us by our surroundings – is subjective. But it is certainly possible to play with a broad audience’s perceptions.
Reflections on Surface is showing works that combine visual perception with haptic memory in a wide variety of ways. Different materials and their specific properties are used to make the works appeal to our sensory imagination. Naturally, the choice of material always plays a key part in the artistic process; for both aesthetic and purely practical reasons, but also because of its socio-cultural significance. The possibilities and variations are manifold.
The great number of sensory associations that can be triggered by material properties is demonstrated when we take a look at various plastics, metals, textiles and papers, or natural materials such as beetle shells. However, subtly perceptible differences attributable to technical factors such as the application of colour also make the characteristics tangible or even more pronounced when, for example, lead and feathers or felt and glass are juxtaposed.
In some works, the material’s inherent properties are taken a step further, so adding a level of illusion to the dialogue between artwork and viewer. We may think of the crumpled pages of an architectural magazine, recall wet bistro tables after a downpour, or surmise an added dimension within the stretcher frame, like looking through a window to the other side of the canvas. Woven structures are reminiscent of textile patterns, and blurred reflections prompt questions on the nature of the surface that captures them.
The exhibition shows works by 15 artists that reflect upon and utilize materiality in a variety of ways. “Reflections on Surface” invites us all to explore these, so investigating our own perceptions.
Reflections on Surface is showing works that combine visual perception with haptic memory in a wide variety of ways. Different materials and their specific properties are used to make the works appeal to our sensory imagination. Naturally, the choice of material always plays a key part in the artistic process; for both aesthetic and purely practical reasons, but also because of its socio-cultural significance. The possibilities and variations are manifold.
The great number of sensory associations that can be triggered by material properties is demonstrated when we take a look at various plastics, metals, textiles and papers, or natural materials such as beetle shells. However, subtly perceptible differences attributable to technical factors such as the application of colour also make the characteristics tangible or even more pronounced when, for example, lead and feathers or felt and glass are juxtaposed.
In some works, the material’s inherent properties are taken a step further, so adding a level of illusion to the dialogue between artwork and viewer. We may think of the crumpled pages of an architectural magazine, recall wet bistro tables after a downpour, or surmise an added dimension within the stretcher frame, like looking through a window to the other side of the canvas. Woven structures are reminiscent of textile patterns, and blurred reflections prompt questions on the nature of the surface that captures them.
The exhibition shows works by 15 artists that reflect upon and utilize materiality in a variety of ways. “Reflections on Surface” invites us all to explore these, so investigating our own perceptions.
Selected Works
Rationalismo (1) (2015)
Aluminium, stainless steel, digital print
100 x 115 x 45 cm
and the long forgotten chaos (Phantom/ghost) (2017)
cassette tape on canvas
47 x 44 cm
Jonathan Lasker
Born Yesterday (1990)
Edition: one of 15 different versions
Photo-silkscreen and oil on canvas
193 x 256,5 cm
Ludwig Stalla
Untitled (Casing) (2023)
SOLD
Graphit und Zellkautschuk auf Leinwand in Aluminiumgehäuse
55 x 45 cm
Ludwig Stalla
Untitled (Casing) (2024)
UV print, gesso, wood fiber and copper on canvas in aluminum case
155 x 125 cm
2 Flaschen (1989)
Bottle 1: perforated gesso
Bottle 2: blue plastic, covered with shellac
Bottle 1: 41 x 19 x 9 cm
Bottle 2: 29,5 x 9 x 9 cm
Untitled (1996)
iron panel, iron bars, lead, knife, scissors
100 x 70 x 38,5 cm
Sibilando Marcofio (1983)
Oil, collage with folding chair on canvas
200 x 138 cm
From Below Straight Ahead (I) (2015)
Ink, feathers, oil chalk, India ink and graphite on paper
77,5 x 57,5 cm
The Sum of All Best Practices III (2022)
Graphite on paper, collage on glass mirror, artist frame
71 x 57 x 22 cm