Palettenbilder

For his third solo exhibition at Galerie Petra Rinck, Johannes Bendzulla (b. 1984, Saarbrücken) explores the potential of a practice that fuses digital and classical painting strategies. The exhibition features exclusively digital compositions created from self-photographed and found materials, combined with entirely computer-generated elements. The title 'Palette Paintings' refers to the painter’s palette, the physical surface traditionally used to mix colors during the painting process. Bendzulla uses photographs of artists’ palettes as a key visual reference for most of the works on view. Unlike paint on canvas, paint on a palette evokes a potential yet to be tapped; it exists as a precursor to the picture itself, existing beyond image-making or composition. Traditionally a lowly tool to an end, Bendzulla elevates the palette to a central motif. The exhibition finds him blending its image with landscape photographs, the optical textures of which can be seen intertwining with seemingly random patches of color. From the earliest stages of his practice, Bendzulla has been fascinated by the distinct properties of digital images. He is particularly intrigued by their “disembodiment” or “placelessness,” as they can be materialized almost anywhere: as projections, displayed on monitors, printed on paper, or transferred to any other medium. For this exhibition, Bendzulla has consciously assigned his works their respective physical forms. Some images are printed on thick handmade paper and framed behind glass, akin to drawings or general works on paper. Others are overlaid on a simulated fabric texture, printed and then fitted over a frame, mimicking the optical appearance of a stretched canvas. These deliberate choices are integral to Bendzulla’s vision, as he believes his works can only be fully experienced when viewed from all angles as physical objects in space. Bendzulla plays with our viewing habits, employing deception and “disappointment” to sow a fundamental mistrust: Is what we see real? And if it isn’t, does it matter?