René Wirths

beatbox

For his first show in Brussels, Berliner artist René Wirths is bringing the walls of Galerie Templon alive with the rhythm of his beatbox exhibition.

Exhibition view, beatbox, TEMPLON Brussels, 2019
Exhibition view, beatbox, TEMPLON Brussels, 2019

The artist is presenting a new collection of paintings from the Liquids series as he continues his exploration of perception. Each piece features a glass three-quarters filled with various liquids such as milk, water, oil, ink and various juices against a neutral, monochrome background. Each liquid brings colour to the pared-back, transparent architecture of its container, enlarged and multiplied. The space is inhabited by repetition of form and variation of colours. A counterpoint is provided by the monumental painting of a vintage ghetto blaster radio and tape deck which fills the room with sound vibrations, as if by synaesthesia.

True to the tradition of abstract painting, the subject takes a back seat, opening the door to reflection and to a physical and perceptive experience of the rhythm. René Wirths is compelled to paint everyday objects, objectively and painstakingly, without the use of photographic or projection equipment. He adopts a phenomenological approach in his quest to capture and understand reality, further enriching our grasp of the world around us. In reaction to today’s overflow of imagery, the artist works slowly and precisely to deliver a concentrated form of the material and appropriate time itself. Eschewing any attempt at realism or illusionism, he places his work under the conceptual umbrella, using his brush to decipher the mysteries of existence.

Black Pencil (Cathedral), 2019

Details

The artist

Born in 1967 in Waldbröl, Germany, René Wirths lives and works in Berlin. Fascinated by questions of perception and representation, he produces carefully framed meticulous paintings of everyday objects on a white background. He ‘poses’ his ‘subjects’ in the natural light of his studio and then renders them precisely as he sees them, forcing the viewer into a head-on confrontation. Part conceptual, part hyperrealist, his works reveal the failings of our perception and explore the perplexity the artist feels when examining the world. 

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