BARTHA CONTEMPORARY
TIME SHIFT SINGULAR FORMS (SOMETIMES REPEATED) JILL BAROFF FRANK GERTTIZ STEFANA MCCLURE JULY 2 - AUGUST 25 FROM JULY 28 BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
This final exhibition in a series of group-exhibitions marks the gallery’s
Similarly, Stefana McClure’s Films on Paper series shows a succession of
15th anniversary. Time Shift features three gallery artists’ work. It was
superimposed subtitles, inter-titles or closed captions depicting entire
inspired by the 2004 exhibition, Singular Forms (Sometimes Repeated)
movies. These are often concentrated and concealed in two bands at the
at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Singular Forms examined the
bottom of an otherwise uninterrupted monochromatic field. Each subtitle
motive toward reduction, restraint and lucidity in postwar art, three
is layered on top of the other, leaving evidence of disrupted information,
aspects concerned in the work of gallery artists Jill Baroff, Stefana McClure
abstract yet encompassing.
and Frank Gerritz. Gerritz’s work holds temporal qualities through its effects on the spectator. There is a guiding compositional principle evident in the artists’ works;
The layers of pencil or paintstick applied to MDF or anodized aluminum
practitioners associated with Minimalism often relied on mathematical
panel’s forms a metallic sheen, resulting in the viewers’ awareness of their
means such as a grid or serial repetition. Although the initial idea behind
reflection. At first glance Gerritz’s works appear flawless but upon further
this process was to annul any sense of illusion, this action is intertwined
inspection it is clear that his precise craftsmanship allows this initial
with the notion of restraint. For example, Baroff’s Tide Drawings have an
disillusion due to the extremely refined nature of his work but it is
indirect, contemplative and conceptual way of looking at arduous,
recognizable that these pieces are after all, created by hand.
scientific information. Whilst enabling us to visualize mathematical data; the numbers, which essentially mean nothing to the untrained eye, are transformed into intricate compositions, which allow us to envision a natural phenomenon.
STEFANA MCCLURE - BARTHA CONTEMPORARY LONDON - 2013
JULIA MANGOLD JULY 5 - SEPTEMBER 27 MIES VAN DER ROHE HAUS BERLIN
Julia Magnold’s (b. 1966) first institutional solo-exhibition in Germany will
At the heart of this exhibition lay three column-like sculptures that evolve
feature a selection of recent sculptures and drawings. The works reflect the
around the identical compositional idea. However it is the interplay from
artist’s unique sense for proportional relationships and spatial concerns.
side to side, from sculpture to sculpture that captivate’s the viewer as the works continuously reveal intriguing formal structures.
Since relocating from her birthplace Munich to Portland Oregon the artist has reduced her compositional vocabulary to a sequence of precisely
Berlin is also the home of one of the artist’s largest public commissions
arranged rectangular volumes.
to date. A monumental sculpture at the Parliamentary offices designed
The delicate interplay between elements that make up Mangold’s
by Braunfels Architects, overlooking the neighbouring historic Reichstag
contained sculptures is elevated by carefully calibrated dark surfaces,
building. The diptych’s two elements, one set on the exterior the other on
that render light and subtlety manipulate the experience.
the interior of the building elevate the architectural space and describe an architectonical relationship between the public and private realm
From one moment to the other, monumental black monoliths change
that is crucial in a government building and would otherwise have gone
their appearance and seem almost weightless. The interplay between
unnoticed.
stark geometric volumes is not determined by mathematical or proportional systems such as the gold mean but rather the result of an intuitive process that begins with a simple outline drawing on a piece of paper. JULIA MANGOLD - BARTHA CONTEMPORARY LONDON - 2012
HARTMUT BÖHM SEPTEMBER 10 - OCTOBER 10 PRIVATE VIEW THURDSAY SEPTEMBER 10 6.30. - 8.30 PM
Hartmut Böhm (b. 1938) widely regarded as one of the most
Most recently his work was included in the Daimler Collection survey
important non-figurative artists of his generation. From his early systematic
exhibition “Minimalism in Germany”, a solo-presentation at Daimler
works, which draw on a European geometric tradition to the artist’s
Collection is scheduled to take place next year.
more recent installation based practice, Hartmut Böhm’s works are best desrcibed w ithin the context of Minimalism rather than European
The forthcoming exhibition at Bartha Contemporary will feature a series
Constructivism.
of recent works, showcasing the artist’s continued interest in seemingly simple compositions and arrangements, which reveal their complex
Proportional systems and progressions lay at the heart of many of
underlying structure over time.
the artist’s compositions. The repetitive nature of Böhm’s work is intentional, often describing the starting-point for a composition that could expand infinitely. Hartmut Böhm participated in several ground-breaking exhibitions, including the 1964 exhibition “Nouvelle Tendance” at the Musée des Arts Décoratives at the Palais du Louvre and in Zagreb 1965. Shortly thereafter “this Kenetica” at the Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts in Vienna, the first important survey exhibition of Kinetic-art in Europe. HARTMUT BÖHM - BERLIN STUDIO - 2014
ALAN JOHNSTON
ALAN JOHNSTON
SEPTEMBER 24 - JANUARY 31 2016
OCTOBER 4 - DECEMBER 31
SAFN BERLIN
MIES VAN DER ROHE HAUS BERLIN
Alan Johnston (b. 1945) recently remarked “My work explores spatial
For his first exhibition at the Mies van der Rohe Haus - Landhaus Lemke,
contexts and relations through drawing and architectural construction,
Johnston created a series of new works on panels that reference the
reflecting on the spatial and tactual implications in architecture where
proportions of bricks that make up the structural framework of this
perceptual notions are rendered as common factors in sight and touch.”
exceptional building.
At SAFN Johnston will present a selection of works both from the SAFN’s
A series of site specific wall-drawings will complete the installation, these
extensive collection as well as recent works made specially for this
are closely related to the artists practice and his earlier wall-drawing at
presentation and in responce to the gallery space.
the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, another seminal Mies van der Rohe building.
This is a comparative context, which has its roots in the practice of art, architecture and visual thinking in the East and the West, and relates to
The works shown relate closely with Johnston’s interest in the work
concepts and practices such as Wabi Sabi.
of Patrick Geddes ‘Philosophical Generalism’, and the notion of the ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’.
ALAN JOHNSTON - SKETCHES FOR MVDR HAUS - 2015
HENRIK EIBEN OCTOBER 13 - DECEMBER 19 PRIVATE VIEW THURDSAY OCTOBER 15 6.30. - 8.30 PM
Henrik Eiben’s (b. 1975) multifaceted works are full of deceptions and
The clever interaction between distinctly different mediums as well as
willful contradictions. Influenced by American Minimalism the artist’s
highly contrasting colour schemes allow Eiben an artistic freedom, which
paintings, works on paper as well as installations evolve from a reduced
results in exceptionally engaging works.
vocabulary of geometric shapes. Eiben predominantly works with unorthodox materials mixing fabrics ranging from cheap fake leather to cashmere felts or knitted wool with construction materials as well as applying a variety of painting techniques. His love for fabric as a medium first began during his studies in the USA. It was then that Eiben decided to work with such a wide variety of materials, each chosen for its ability to serve as a means to accomplish a preconceived idea, rather than for its inherent attributes. Many of Eiben’s pieces at first appear as clearly defined abstract art-works, however on closer inspection their often skillfully hidden sub-context reveals a broader and more nuanced approach to abstraction. HENRIK EIBEN - TRIPTYCH: BIG ELIE - 2015
TEL 020 7985 0015 FAX 020 7985 0016 W W W . BARTHACONTEMPORARY.COM INFO@BARTHACONTEMPORARY.COM UNDERGROUND STATION OXFORD CIRCUS OPENING HOURS TUE - SAT 11AM - 6PM AND BY APPOINTMENT
COVER: FRANK GERRITZ - DIPTYCH: TWO CENTRE CONNECTION - THE DEFINITION OF SPACE - 2008
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