Michael Raedecker
11 Jun - 17 Jul 2010
MICHAEL RAEDECKER
June 11 – July 17 2010
Galerie Max Hetzler is pleased to present an exhibition of London based Dutch artist Michael Raedecker, his first with the gallery.
Raedecker received international recognition in the 1990’s for his paintings depicting conventional forms such as landscapes, still lifes, draperies, ruins or generic architecture. These themes are revisited through his very personal technique of sewing and embroidery, in saturated colors on washed out greys. In an electronic visual culture, his paintings appear to stand outside of time and carry along a feeling of quiet melancholia.
The starting point are found images out of our visual culture that give a classical feel as something recognisable helps us to step into the work; the convergence of familiar and strange, often contributing to create different layers of complexity. In some paintings suburban architectures suggest failed utopia. At times textiles become both medium and subject; cloths, towels, linen and lace being themes largerly represented. The colours are reduced to grey and the narrative as well as the titles are restrained. Transparency and fastness show the original sketch. Paintings look scratched, faded, and as if large sections of the image have been erased. These are simplified, yet nothing is perfectly clinical. Depictions are brief and sketchy while drawing appears more persistant than paint.
Embroidery threads are used to accentuate some drips or splashes of paint, which creates a balance between control and coincidence and leads to a certain tension.
Intimacy and distance appear to be ever present making his paintings truly intriguing. His chosen medium, embroidery, could be viewed as a reaction to more cenceptual postures and proves to be a relevent combination of high and low art. The freedom that emanates from them contributes to the strong physical presence of his paintings.
A fully illustrated catalog with an essay by Tom Morton is forthcoming
Michael Raedecker born 1963 in Amsterdam, lives and works on London.
He attended Rietveld and Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and Goldsmith College in London.
Solo exhibitions include Carré d’Art, Nîmes (2010); GEM, Museum of Contemporary Art, The Hague (2010); Camden Arts Centre, London (2009); Salzburger Kunstverein (2004); Knoxville Museum of Art, Tennessee (2004); Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Basel (2003); Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven (1999), and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1998)
June 11 – July 17 2010
Galerie Max Hetzler is pleased to present an exhibition of London based Dutch artist Michael Raedecker, his first with the gallery.
Raedecker received international recognition in the 1990’s for his paintings depicting conventional forms such as landscapes, still lifes, draperies, ruins or generic architecture. These themes are revisited through his very personal technique of sewing and embroidery, in saturated colors on washed out greys. In an electronic visual culture, his paintings appear to stand outside of time and carry along a feeling of quiet melancholia.
The starting point are found images out of our visual culture that give a classical feel as something recognisable helps us to step into the work; the convergence of familiar and strange, often contributing to create different layers of complexity. In some paintings suburban architectures suggest failed utopia. At times textiles become both medium and subject; cloths, towels, linen and lace being themes largerly represented. The colours are reduced to grey and the narrative as well as the titles are restrained. Transparency and fastness show the original sketch. Paintings look scratched, faded, and as if large sections of the image have been erased. These are simplified, yet nothing is perfectly clinical. Depictions are brief and sketchy while drawing appears more persistant than paint.
Embroidery threads are used to accentuate some drips or splashes of paint, which creates a balance between control and coincidence and leads to a certain tension.
Intimacy and distance appear to be ever present making his paintings truly intriguing. His chosen medium, embroidery, could be viewed as a reaction to more cenceptual postures and proves to be a relevent combination of high and low art. The freedom that emanates from them contributes to the strong physical presence of his paintings.
A fully illustrated catalog with an essay by Tom Morton is forthcoming
Michael Raedecker born 1963 in Amsterdam, lives and works on London.
He attended Rietveld and Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and Goldsmith College in London.
Solo exhibitions include Carré d’Art, Nîmes (2010); GEM, Museum of Contemporary Art, The Hague (2010); Camden Arts Centre, London (2009); Salzburger Kunstverein (2004); Knoxville Museum of Art, Tennessee (2004); Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Basel (2003); Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven (1999), and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1998)