LAYERED NOTIONS

As part of the exhibition, Laura Sachs and Udo Nöger engage in a formal dialogue, exploring the interplay of surface, silence, complexity, simplicity, and meaning. Rooted in a profound relationship between form and light, Sachs and Nöger invite viewers to explore within the silent spaces of their work. Udo Nöger stretches layers of painted and cut up canvases on the frame, creating a special permeability and revealing a semi transparent, and fragile texture. His paintings then evoke a sense of delicate tissue, bathed in hues of blue and light purple. This unique method results in paintings that capture light and energy, questioning our relationship within the layers of life itself. The shimmering forms are intended to show the luminescence of color (the spontaneous emission of radiation from an electronically excited species). In his current works on paper, which were created in Florida in 2022-23, Nöger works with charcoal. The gestural style underlines Nöger's urge to be spontaneous and honest. "Every work has to be good right from the start. Nothing is pushed back and forth, not much thought is given to it. Let everything come, let it go and implement it straight away. That's what it's all about for me. That's why I work with paper." In contrast to Nöger, Laura Sachs complements her primed canvases with cold metals, warmer wood, fabric or fine studio dust. She creates multi-perspective objects that, despite their minimalist compositions and the heavy metal bands, evoke a sense of dynamism. The Berlin-based artist allows the processual elements - the washed-out application of paint or the porous paint structure - to shine through and thus forcing the viewer to engage with its nature. Thanks to her clear aesthetic and a reduced formal language, Sachs’ works assert themselves as pictorial bodies in space. They however evolve - just like Nöger's works - when visitors move their point of view or the incidence of light changes. A work by Laura Sachs is composed of many views and diverse materialities as she actively engages in a dialogue with her artworks, fostering an intrinsic conversation that seamlessly extends to the exhibited pieces. In this blend of elements and texture, Sachs and Nöger converge, offering an exploration of the silent layers within. "In philosophy, you get to the bottom of things. This approach still corresponds to my artistic search today." Laura Sachs