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until 01.10. | #3577ARTatBerlin | Galerie Schmalfuss Berlin presents from 29th August 2022 (opening: 27.08.) the exhibition figurativ bis konkret with works by the artists Simone Haack, Hannes Mussner and Dirk Salz.
“If, after enjoying the visible, a doubt arises in the viewer so that he begins to question what he has seen and his own perception, we have achieved our goal,” explains Michael W. Schmalfuß. And you can see his anticipation of the upcoming exhibition.”
Starting with the vernissage on 27 August 2022, the gallery owner and his team will present mysterious figurative paintings by Simone Haack, expressive wooden sculptures by the sculptor Hannes Mussner and transparent, concrete forms by Dirk Salz. Simone Haack, Hannes Mussner and Dirk Salz each work in their own individual way with the stylistic device of irritation. The combination of the three artistic positions increases the charisma of each individual work. Their perception by the viewers becomes the focus of the exhibition. “figurative to concrete” thus offers art lovers a multifaceted spectrum of stimuli. But it is also appealing to those who want to become one.
Hannes Mussner, Flucht, 2021, Lindenholz, Acrylfarbe, Höhe 41 cm
Internationally renowned artists such as Karin Kneffel, Katharina Grosse, Xenia Hausner or Stephan Balkenhohl are among the teachers of Haack, Mussner and Salz. These three up-and-coming personalities are already distinguished by the development of new stylistic forms of expression and combinations of materials. Their works contain an element of irritation that can only be perceived at second glance. And it is precisely through this feeling that Simone Haack, Hannes Mussner and Dirk Salz “force” the viewers to enter into dialogue with art, themselves and their immediate surroundings.
In her painting, Simone Haack primarily addresses the physical existence of human beings at the moment of a psychological threshold situation: be it the transition from youth to adulthood or the processing of nightmares. Her figurations such as “Crest” (2021, 100 x 70 cm, oil on cotton) and “Dandy” (2021, 80 x 60 cm, oil on canvas) can be classified as what the artist calls “fictional portraits”. They convey a
Simone Haack, Dandy, 2021, Oil on canvas, 80 x 60 cm
Feeling of loneliness, vulnerability and closedness. The faces seem familiar, realistic, almost everyday. Haack’s soft, dense painterly style and her conceptually well thought-out use of light sources and colour modulations reinforce the expression of beautiful appearances in her paintings. The viewer would like to indulge in the beautiful appearance with pleasure. But a certain surreal element, a palpable tension immanent in the picture, wants to be recognised..
Simone Haack, Crest, 2021, Oil on canvas, 100 x 70 cm
Hannes Mussner could be described as the hidden champion of contemporary wood sculpture. In his search for new forms of representation, the South Tyrolean experiments with materials such as clay, wax, plaster, synthetic resin or acrylic in combination with wood. His realistic-looking figures are characterised by an expressive surface treatment that emphasises the material. They are carved out of the wooden trunk. Wood grain and colour determine their character.
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Hannes Mussner, Sehnsucht, 2022, Swiss pine wood, acrylic paint, height 32.5 cm
Thus the sculptures “Escape” (2021, lime wood, acrylic, 41 cm) and “Longing” (2022, Swiss pine wood, acrylic paint, 32.5 cm) stand in space with a self-referential gaze in stoic calm. They appear individual and typified at the same time. Mussner’s well thought-out mix of materials gives them a challenging gesture. And it is precisely here that the subtle communication with the viewer begins.
Dirk Salz, DSA/M 1100 # 2803, 2022, Resinworks / deep dives, pigments and resin on multiplex, Ø 120 cm
Dirk Salz is one of the most consistent representatives of concrete art. He distances himself from the traditional techniques of painting in his creative process. However, he describes himself as a painter. As a painter who is not characterised by an individual style, but whose works appear smooth, almost as if created by machine. The handiwork and the thought process preceding the work can only be recognised when looking closely. Salz “plays” with lines, surfaces and colours. He prefers to use reflective or translucent materials. His paintings, for example, consist of dozens of layers of synthetic resin mixed with pigments, like the form “DAS/M 1100 #2803” from 2022. Or they are fragmented layers. The painter always searches for optical phenomena that cannot be explained. He instrumentalises the tension between mutually dependent opposites: The viewer can be immersed in the depth of the painting, but in the next moment feel pushed out by the reflective surface. Viewing art is thus a directly sensual experience.
Vernissage: Saturday, 27. August 2022, 03:00 p.m. – 08:00 p.m.
Exhibition dates: Monday, 29. August until Saturday, 01. October 2022
to the gallery
Caption title: Dirk Salz, DSA/M 1013 # 2715, 2021, Prints on glass, printed colours on glass, 34 x 105 x 6 cm
Exhibition Figurativ bis Konkret – Galerie Schmalfuss Berlin | Zeitgenössische Kunst – Exhibitions Berlin Galerien | ART at Berlin
