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Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery is delighted to present "From and Beyond the Senses", a joint exhibition featuring recent works by German artists Wulf Winckelmann and Christiane Erdmann.
Color objects by Wulf Winckelmann
Transition to three-dimensionality
Early paintings by Wulf Winckelmann such as the landscape paintings contain representational associations and exhibit a certain degree of realism. His later works such as his "Venice paintings" are moving towards abstraction, but the atmosphere of the images evoked by color and horizontal lines were reminiscent of landscape. His works in acrylic paint and pigment has become increasingly abstract throughout the years. However, in the recent color objects, the "image" becomes an object hanging on the wall, and the image is transformed to a three-dimensional object and then to a spatial experience.
Process
Early in 2007, Wulf Winckelmann began to build a replica of the object which had emerged by chance. The object consisted of a wooden box with a covering of polystyrene or polyurethane foam which had been sculpted and then coated in epoxy resin. After it had hardened, several layers of paint, pigments, glaze and other materials were applied to the surface, resulting in a sculpture that is made of a wide variety of materials. His color objects are thick and sculptural. Paint is applied in layers, each of which allows the previous layer to show through. Although his composition may seem structural and architectural from far, upon a closer look, the viewer can notice that the traces left by the spatula are never regular. Spontaneity is an important aspect of the composition. In some of the color objects, the surface structure consists of scratches running in all directions, and parallel lines are never drawn with a ruler. It sometimes appears as if water-based paint has been applied on top of a water-repellent oleaginous grounding, which creates irregular patches of color as they might appear in nature. The colors of the light and the contrasts of shadows alter the object. When looked under different lights, the color object appears differently and the feeling and sentiments that invokes changes. Such changeability reflects the characteristics of nature.
Contents and Beyond
Winckelmann's colour objects are abstract. Paint flakes off as it does from an old wall. Some of the color objects depict the walls of the ancient caves and some depict the walls of monuments and gates. Winckelmann's fondness for traveling and culture is reflected in his color objects.
Animal Sculptures by Christiane Erdmann
Wood as the medium
To Christiane Erdmann, wood is life. It is organic. It exudes a pleasant aroma and it relates its own history. She uses the trunk of a tree to sculpt. Erdmann works with heavy tools such as the chain saw, and follows the pattern of the grain when sculpt. It enables her to make quick and powerful cuts into the wood block and to render finer details. The sculptures are painted in the last phase of work.
Contents and Beyond
Erdmann's art is always figurative. In most cases she creates human images. She also creates animal figures, including sheep, snails, dogs, cats, rabbits and tigers. She also favors creating a substantial number of fish, in stacked arrangement as steles. Her recent works "The Animals" manifest her observations of the form and movement of animals. The animals' sculptures are realistic, and they are painted in colors. Erdmann is concerned with the representation of individual animal figure and its behavior. Her figures are alive. One can approach them and walk around them. One wants to reach out and touch them because they seem so real. There is an absence of the disturbing sense of confronting the animal. Her animals evoke warmth and liveliness. Erdmann's imaginative energies applied to her wood sculptures. Her works invite the beholder to interact with the figures.
Wulf Winckelmann's Color Objects and Christiane Erdmann's wood sculptures are sculptural and interactive. Both artists leave visible traces and marks during the process of creation. The works are imbued with imaginative energies and there is a sense of inner force and spirit that lies within and beyond. Winckelmann and Erdmann hope to invite the beholders to interact with their works and to think beyond the depicted forms through their works.
This exhibition "From and Beyond the Senses" will be on view from November 4 to November 30 and more than 35 recent works by both artists will be featured.
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