 Crystella 1, 2006 Oil on canvas, 74.8 x 129.92 inches, 190 x 330 cm Dirk Skreber Crystal Mess Friedrich Petzel Gallery is pleased to announce the second solo exhibition of five new paintings by Dirk Skreber. Through his paintings Dirk Skreber challenges seemingly contradictory ideas in contemporary painting such as abstraction and figuration, color and line, beauty and catastrophe. The content is used as a way to explore formal issues. This exhibition entitled "Crystal Mess" features paintings of houses and abandoned camping trailers, leaving the viewer's imagination to ascertain what lies beneath. The provocative meaning of the show's title further estranges the viewer, who voyeuristically looks at the house through the eerie perspective of an aerial lens, from any emotional response. The calmness of the paintings in conjunction with the title only hints at the dark stories that lie hauntingly beneath their picture perfect scenery. Through the complete dehumanization of the scenes the mystery of the subject is heightened. In 2000, Dirk Skreber was awarded the inaugural young artist prize by the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the most prestigious prize for young artists in Germany. He has exhibited in museums throughout the United States and Europe including the Kunstverein Freiburg and the Kunsthaus Zurich. Exhibition: April 29 - May 27, 2006 Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 10am - 6pm and by appointment. Friedrich Petzel Gallery 537 West 22nd Street USA-New York 10011, NY Telephone +1 212 680 94 67 Fax +1 212 680 94 73 Email info@petzel.com www.petzel.com |
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