Matthys Gerber
22 Sep - 06 Dec 2015
Matthys Gerber
L’Origine du Monde #1, 1992
Barber Cottier Collection, Sydney
image courtesy and © the artist
photo: Ashley Barber
L’Origine du Monde #1, 1992
Barber Cottier Collection, Sydney
image courtesy and © the artist
photo: Ashley Barber
MATTHYS GERBER
22 September - 6 December 2015
Curator: Natasha Bullock
The work of Sydney artist Matthys Gerber explores the languages, experiences and histories of painting. His engagement with historical and popular sources, along with his experimental attitude, technical virtuosity and refusal to rest with one style or subject matter have become the hallmarks of his practice.
In his work he has challenged traditional painting genres, including abstraction, portraiture, landscape, still life and text; and employed various techniques, from finely wrought realistic details to the impasto effects of gestural abstraction. At the core of this process is the dynamic between representation and abstraction, a tension embodied in his ongoing series of Rorschach paintings.
Gerber came to prominence in Australia during the late 1980s when painting was experiencing an international renaissance. His work reacts to 80’s appropriation and is influenced by the various histories of the avant-garde, indigenous painting, popular music and commercial design. This exhibition explored contrasts and relationships between past and recent work, highlighting the structure and chaos at the centre of his approach.
22 September - 6 December 2015
Curator: Natasha Bullock
The work of Sydney artist Matthys Gerber explores the languages, experiences and histories of painting. His engagement with historical and popular sources, along with his experimental attitude, technical virtuosity and refusal to rest with one style or subject matter have become the hallmarks of his practice.
In his work he has challenged traditional painting genres, including abstraction, portraiture, landscape, still life and text; and employed various techniques, from finely wrought realistic details to the impasto effects of gestural abstraction. At the core of this process is the dynamic between representation and abstraction, a tension embodied in his ongoing series of Rorschach paintings.
Gerber came to prominence in Australia during the late 1980s when painting was experiencing an international renaissance. His work reacts to 80’s appropriation and is influenced by the various histories of the avant-garde, indigenous painting, popular music and commercial design. This exhibition explored contrasts and relationships between past and recent work, highlighting the structure and chaos at the centre of his approach.