Tit for Tat

Cornelia Baltes is known for her captivating paintings and installations which teeter between abstraction and figuration. Bold colour fields are juxtaposed with gestural brushstrokes and more pictorial elements, fizzing with a dynamic energy and enigmatic narrative(s). The exhibition marks a development in Baltes’ practice, embellishing and enriching her visual lexicon further. Here, Baltes’ formally astute paintings explore the medium itself. A mural interacting and completing a painting, playful diptychs, and a combination of classical hangings with more lively, absurd and unexpected placements, such as a painting that “walks'' into the wall, results in an exhibition which keeps the viewer on their toes. The short name-like letter combinations which form Baltes’ titles lend the feeling of characters in a play, suggesting that the exhibition space is a kind of stage which we have entered, becoming entangled with Baltes’ story.