KONTUR — Alexander Denkert & Anton Schön

About

The accentuation and framing of surfaces, working with positive and negative forms as well as the fathoming of depths are formal questions dealt with in both the paintings and sculptural works of this exhibition. The production process for both artists is an essential part of the result and is made apparent in their work. These common aspects of artistic production become a linking element to make the works on canvas engage in dialogue with the three-dimensional objects.

Alexander Denkert’s paintings are primarily marked by 1990’s design. The colors and shapes he uses appear as signals while being of playful character at the same time. The stencil-like bolts of lightning, stars and squiggles are carried out in a palette which seems to be borrowed from the visual world of comics or cartoons. Any association with a narrative stops here however, as his paintings forgoe any kind of didaction. The only storytelling element is the process of creation itself visible in the result: Paint and its successive layering; overlay and the traces left by squeegee, brush or ruler while painting. Working out the painting remains an integral, visual element.

Anton Schön forms sculptures from wood and steel which, inspired by formboards or pattern, originate from the fields of construction industry and fashion. Their handmade nature can be seen in these works: Nails tapped in by hand and routed-off spots on metal resemble painterly strokes. The color arrangement of the objects at times emphasizes their seeming belonging to the field of concrete building, elsewhere the coarse, uncut materiality is contrasted by pleasant accents. In Agc-mold R2, Schön takes up the typical yellow of formboards used in concrete building. At the same time, pink paint breaks with this impression.The single parts of the series Anatomy, stringed together, reveal the shape of a pattern for a women’s dress. Thus, fragments from different contexts come together in one object and associations mingle.