Werner Haypeter | Wall Crossing

About

Haypeter has, since the 1980s, explored geometric form in discreet works made from resin, wood, PVC and paper.  Engaging with the purely abstract paintings of twentieth-century Modernism, Haypeter’s work succeeds in uniting the theories of abstraction with the aesthetic of mass production.

Works in this exhibition include wall-based, three-dimensional resin works through which acrylic paint is frozen in horizontal and vertical lines. Dominant is Haypeter’s trademark yellow, however we also see bright blues and muted greys.  The precise nature of the works is deceiving: all are handmade in Haypeter’s studio in Germany and the touch of the human hand can be made out on closer inspection whilst uncontrolled bubbles appear in the poured resin.

The wall-mounted works exist somewhere between paintings and sculptures; some protrude from the wall at a right angle, other works stand on plinths, emphasising their sculptural quality.  The addition of steel elements in some pieces add to their industrial feel.   They explore the “expansion of two-dimensional surface into space”* not only through their inherent make-up of layered materials but in their position in the room.

Paper, meanwhile, is folded, torn and layered, furthering Haypeter’s exploration of geometric form whilst quietly drawing our attention to the inherent quality of the material.  Transparency and opacity are investigated and the relationship between picture fields given prominence in beautifully subtle works on paper.

Wermer Haypeter was born in Germany in 1955.  He studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and has exhibited widely throughout Europe.  He lives and works in Düsseldorf and Bonn, Germany.