Frank Gerritz
13 Sep - 02 Nov 2013
FRANK GERRITZ
On a Cloudy Day
13 September - 2 November 2013
Nusser & Baumgart is proud to present „On a Cloudy Day“, a solo show by Frank GERRITZ (*1964). The exhibition contains three brand-new series: Aquarello Drip Drawings, Dark | Light | Space, and Concept Drawings. The Aquarellos and Concept Drawings will have their international debut.
With these new works, the artist demonstrates a variety of fascinating dynamics created through a combination of different textures – by applying the liquid residue of oil paint stick, as well as the versatile graphite pencil, to different supporting materials. For Gerritz, the act of composing surfaces and enabling a dialogue with the surrounding space and the light within it plays a defining role within his work. The artist's background in plastic arts, evidenced in a markedly sculptural approach to mass and density, remain apparent throughout each one of his pieces. Especially regarding Dark | Light | Space and Concept Drawings, the observer is challenged to embrace unfamiliar spaces of experience through many-layered structures, each layer expertly modulated by Frank Gerritz.
For the artwork exhibited in “On A Cloudy Day”, Gerritz uses different supporting materials as well as three very different and unconventional techniques that each produce an energetic level of tension on their own, but also in con- trast to one another. In each of these series, the specific surface qualities of the material play a central role. Despite using a minimal palette and creating only monochrome surfaces, the artist envisions and invokes a visual space dominated by nuances of depth: whether it be in the style of Dark | Light | Space, where a white oil paint stick is all it takes to create different temperatures – warm and cold hues, and everything in between – or Concept Drawings, where the intense application of pencil creates an opaque field that captures and reflects light in seemingly infinite variations.
In Aquarello Drip and Concept Drawings, individual elements are tethered to one another, but at the same time libe- rate themselves by following a distinct rhythm. Despite the very present reductivist aspects, each of the three series are defined by a certain dynamic vitality; in Aquarello Drip Drawings, one might even discover an air of levity and good-naturedness. In these, his newest pieces, Gerritz skillfully disrupts strict formality of technique. These works create a new dimension of artistic impression whose full impact can only be hinted at in reproductions, and can only barely be described by words. Time and time again, Gerritz exposes the quintessence of pure light, as in Dark | Light | Space. Frank Gerritz succeeds in carrying flat surfaces a step beyond themselves, transforming de facto two-dimensional planes into three-dimensional art with an undeniable sculptural quality in order to create aesthetically complex visual spaces.
Text: Bashira Cabbara (excerpt)
On a Cloudy Day
13 September - 2 November 2013
Nusser & Baumgart is proud to present „On a Cloudy Day“, a solo show by Frank GERRITZ (*1964). The exhibition contains three brand-new series: Aquarello Drip Drawings, Dark | Light | Space, and Concept Drawings. The Aquarellos and Concept Drawings will have their international debut.
With these new works, the artist demonstrates a variety of fascinating dynamics created through a combination of different textures – by applying the liquid residue of oil paint stick, as well as the versatile graphite pencil, to different supporting materials. For Gerritz, the act of composing surfaces and enabling a dialogue with the surrounding space and the light within it plays a defining role within his work. The artist's background in plastic arts, evidenced in a markedly sculptural approach to mass and density, remain apparent throughout each one of his pieces. Especially regarding Dark | Light | Space and Concept Drawings, the observer is challenged to embrace unfamiliar spaces of experience through many-layered structures, each layer expertly modulated by Frank Gerritz.
For the artwork exhibited in “On A Cloudy Day”, Gerritz uses different supporting materials as well as three very different and unconventional techniques that each produce an energetic level of tension on their own, but also in con- trast to one another. In each of these series, the specific surface qualities of the material play a central role. Despite using a minimal palette and creating only monochrome surfaces, the artist envisions and invokes a visual space dominated by nuances of depth: whether it be in the style of Dark | Light | Space, where a white oil paint stick is all it takes to create different temperatures – warm and cold hues, and everything in between – or Concept Drawings, where the intense application of pencil creates an opaque field that captures and reflects light in seemingly infinite variations.
In Aquarello Drip and Concept Drawings, individual elements are tethered to one another, but at the same time libe- rate themselves by following a distinct rhythm. Despite the very present reductivist aspects, each of the three series are defined by a certain dynamic vitality; in Aquarello Drip Drawings, one might even discover an air of levity and good-naturedness. In these, his newest pieces, Gerritz skillfully disrupts strict formality of technique. These works create a new dimension of artistic impression whose full impact can only be hinted at in reproductions, and can only barely be described by words. Time and time again, Gerritz exposes the quintessence of pure light, as in Dark | Light | Space. Frank Gerritz succeeds in carrying flat surfaces a step beyond themselves, transforming de facto two-dimensional planes into three-dimensional art with an undeniable sculptural quality in order to create aesthetically complex visual spaces.
Text: Bashira Cabbara (excerpt)