Six Painters

Sarah Buckner

Florian Krewer

Kaoli Mashio

Christoph Matthes

Raphaela Simon

Dorothea Stiegemann

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Text by Charlotte Eytan

Six Painters gathers works by Sarah Buckner, Florian Krewer, Kaoli Mashio, Christoph Matthes, Raphaela Simon and Dorothea Stiegemann, works that are notable more for their distinctions than their likenesses, and which together celebrate the boundless potential of painting. Call it a symphony, even if it’s a discordant one: a symphony of personal idiosyncrasy within the field of painting. While it is worth mentioning that all six artists were Masters students at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in the mid-2000s, that era is but a distant memory. Since then, they have traversed diverse paths, evolving independently as artists, while maintaining an often intimate acquaintance with each other's work.

In Sarah Buckner's painting titled (Usurpers) “scribble powder”, a captivating scene emerges—one that is visually harmonious yet tantalisingly elusive, akin to a fable whispered in an unfamiliar tongue. It appears to have been plucked from the depths of someone's subconscious, perhaps the artist's own, or perhaps not, blending reality with dreams and a tapestry of experiences, encompassing books devoured, voyages embarked upon, and a lifetime of things felt and seen. It is a painting that is as playful as it is serendipitous, immaculately made in tempera, oil and malachite. 

In Florian Krewer's evocative artwork Untitled, an enigmatic creature roams the city streets, its identity eluding clear categorisation—it could be a hyena, a dog, or even a cheetah. However, what stands out most profoundly is its untamed nature, radiating a wildness that cannot be contained. Remarkably, this creature clutches a human-like head firmly between its teeth. It instills a profound awareness of the primal forces that lie at the core of our existence, beckoning us to contemplate the intricate interplay between civilisation and instinct, society and the untamed wilderness.

Kaoli Mashio's ‘portraits’ of galvanized steel walls, created between 2019 and 2021, began in admiration for the resilience of these structures, and over the course of the series gradually evolved to become a reflection of the shifting landscape of society and human connections amidst the pandemic.. The intersecting lines within the compositions mirror the restless yearning for connection within an isolated world that unfolds through them. Vibrant colours emerge as beacons of hope, while the walls themselves undergo a metamorphosis, morphing into windows that beckon us into uncharted realms. Mashio captures the essence of our changing world while reminding us all about our resilience and perseverance.

Christoph Matthes here presents us with a puzzle: Two distinct objects occupy the canvas—an anonymous, faceless figure lying prone, and a fish emerging from the darkness. These elements appear as if they were conceived by separate minds and brought to life by different hands. The faceless figure is delicately rendered using a ballpoint pen, lightly layered over with pale pink paint. In contrast, the fish takes on a prominent presence—a "painting-within-a-painting"—constructed with thick, black oil strokes. This juxtaposition invites viewers to forge their own connections and interpretations, as ample space is left open for personal contemplation. Matthes' artwork presents a curious amalgamation that oscillates between humour and disquiet, beckoning us to navigate the intriguing depths of its enigmatic narrative.

Raphaela Simon's Eiskopf, or “Ice Head” in English, delves into the intricate relationship between the physical and psychological realms It stands as a creation that seamlessly merges painterly qualities with an inherent sense of symbolism. The artwork's material form exists in a delicate equilibrium alongside the potent image of an upturned head, simultaneously evoking a sense of violence and otherworldliness, detached from its corporeal vessel. To fully appreciate its essence, one may find it most fitting to observe the artwork upside down, allowing the rush of blood to the head, thereby immersing oneself in the transformative experience it offers. Eiskopf" invites us to explore the intricate connections between our physical existence and the depths of our psyche, enticing us to ponder the enigmatic complexities of human nature.

Dorothea Stiegemann's works glow with intimacy, emotion, and mystery. Her paintings, composed with a long eye to materiality using oil, watercolour, ink and charcoal on canvas, paper and linen, bring nature into dialogue with architecture, lightness with rigidity, and take us on a visual journey of discovery, new images and struggles emerging from each works’ depths. Stiegemann's paintings depict not only visual motifs of figures, animals, flowers and landscapes; she also conveys her personal struggle to achieve an intimate understanding with these subjects.

The range of personal expression present in this gathering could, in a sense, go on forever: one could always add more paintings in, and yet their divergences and distinctiveness would endure. Upon reflection, there are perhaps some connections here, some shared sensibilities, beyond the mereness of the artists’ graduating from the same class at around the same time: a delight in games, a serendipitous sense of mystery to dangle in front of the viewer, a certain uncanniness, and perhaps above all, a respect for the painter’s materials, used here in so many different ways. Six Painters is an exhibition that invites us to see this most traditional of artistic practices as a field of endless potential, with as much capacity for personal expression as the diversity of individual human minds.

text by Charlotte Eytan