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until 12.04. | #4584ARTatBerlin | RASCHE RIPKEN shows from 14. February 2025 the exhibition Licht aus, Tür zu by the artist Ralph Merschmann.
From February 14 to April 12, 2025, the gallery Rasche Ripken will present new paintings by Ralph Merschmann in a solo exhibition titled Licht aus, Tür zu.
In his latest works, the artist has adopted a new compositional approach that can be described as a kind of architectural planning exercise. He organizes the canvas using geometric color forms, almost as if they were modular elements of a construction set, combining in endless new arrangements. His paintings shift between top-down and side views, sometimes evoking floor plans or street maps, and at other times resembling fragmented house facades with embedded doors and windows. These elements are either symmetrically distributed across a monochromatic background or arranged – partly dark, partly lit – in free formations that deliberately defy any structural logic.
As in his previous series, the artist continues to organize his latest works through the successive layering and superimposition of modular shapes to form complex, multi-layered compositions. The lacquered areas of paint sometimes resemble adhered, reflective foils, making both illusion and materiality central themes and subjects of his work. Simultaneously, architectural motifs like brickwork, window frames, and glazing bars are reinterpreted through abstract geometric patterns—such as when deeper layers of color emerge at the seams of adjacent elements. Furthermore, the artist’s process often incorporates intentional flaws and breaks, whether through slightly altered angles or other small deviations, lending his work – despite its precision – a vibrant visual energy.
Instead of seeking normative order, Ralph Merschmann’s paintings explore delicate balances and subtle rule-breaking. His approach challenges the possibilities of formal composition, not by merely repeating or varying elements, but through rich, nuanced characteristics and references. This results in hybrid, individual visual compositions that keep the viewer’s gaze in constant motion.
Vernissage: Friday, 14. February 2025, 6 – 9 pm
Exhibition period: Friday, 14. February until Saturday, 12. April 2025
To the Gallery
Title image caption: Ralph Merschmann, o.T., 2024, lacquer on wood, 40 x 30 cm, Courtesy Rasche Ripken
Exhibition Ralph Merschmann – Rasche Ripken | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Exhibitions Berlin Galleries | ART at Berlin
