minimus maximus

The upcoming exhibition focuses on minimal, monochromatic, and abstract forms of expression in drawing, sculpture, and painting. The works gathered here are not concerned with a naturalistic depiction of reality; instead, they understand and explore signs, clusters of signs, color, and shapes as independent aesthetic images and objects. Following the belief that nothing is more concrete or real than a line, a color, or a surface, they seek absolute clarity in the utmost simplicity.

Joachim Griess's drawings thrive on rhythmic repetition, clear composition, and shifts in structure. The solid application of oil pastel contrasts with fine, tightly drawn pencil lines. This results in serial and modular arrangements of color and surface combinations that quietly and contemplatively vary within a strict horizontal-vertical framework.

Metal sculptor Karl Menzen presents three-dimensional steel sculptures that are consistently developed from flat surfaces. Through a few cuts and subsequent twisting of the individual surfaces, a complex spatial structure emerges, creating a poetic force through the interplay of materiality and empty space, light and shadow.

For Gabriele Schade-Hasenberg, color serves as form, medium, and content of her painting. Her works arise spontaneously from a mood or a heightened perception. Countless layers of thin, homogeneous color coats and the nuanced use of color value and consistency characterize her approach to color as a material and the creation of images as a direct engagement with reality.

Friday, January 21, 2011, 7:30 PM Opening

Thursday, February 3, 7:30 PM
"Concrete Poetry," presented by Gunnar Hermann

Sunday, February 27, 2011, 7:30 PM Closing event with artist talk and drawing of the art lottery