On December 19, an exhibition of German artist Jonas Burgert's latest paintings opened in the Beijing space of the Tang Contemporary Art Center. The exhibition is curated by Kuang Wei and Emily Kuang. In 2019, Jonas Bergert hosted his Asian premiere exhibition at the Hong Kong space of the Contemporary Tang Dynasty Art Centre. This exhibition, "Dark Lines," is his second collaboration with the Tang Contemporary Art Center.
The exhibition includes a variety of paintings and sculptures by Bergert, in which the artist constructs an alternative dimension that is full of elusive figures and vivid like a fairyland.
Showroom scene
"Dark Lines" is Jonas Bergert's latest series of works. The work Dark Lines shows a dirty room filled with blurred objects of light and dark. The figures it depicts dressed in ruffled costumes of various colors and purple, green plant-like leaves, and the chest and head are decorated with soft, fluttering ribbons and colorful geometric figures, showing the mythological and mysterious elements that often appear in Bergert's works. The characters are placed in the center of the frame and cast a direct view at the viewer outside the frame. The background appears lifeless, except for the green that jumps in it. If we look closely at this painting, it feels like entering a new world, where its culture and time are open to us, and we hope to further explore the colorful universe inside Jonas Bergerte personally.
Dark Lines, Oil on Canvas, 260 × 180 cm, 2020
"For me, I don't mean to show what already exists, what I'm interested in is to show what might exist." That's the subtext. I try to dig into the things behind the people around me, the things that exist outside the surface," Bergert says, "Painting is a visual medium; it's about how I visually present something beyond the surface." Maybe it's through something very small, sometimes I make some very small gestures; sometimes it makes it very dramatic. For me, it's fun to see what's behind the scenes, which is not just a bad thing, it's a good thing. ”
Vichlast, oil on canvas, 360 × 720 cm, 2020
Bergt's paintings contain both large-scale paintings with visual impact and smaller canvases to present his in-depth exploration of a single subject, mainly portraits of mysterious figures as if placed under a microscope. What makes Bergert unique is that he introduces us into a series of visual events and figures in which we perceive ourselves.
Drive, oil on canvas, 90 × 80 cm, 2020
Sneaking, oil on canvas, 90 × 80 cm, 2020
His paintings depict strangely dressed figures, decorated faces, and grotesque objects. It is often difficult to discern which are inanimate objects and which are living beings. In Bergert's paintings, we can clearly see references to Renaissance and Flemish masters such as Hieronymus Bosch.
Soft World, oil on canvas, 180 × 220 cm, 2020
Bergt's color palette is extremely bold and intense. For him, color is a very abstract thing, which becomes a remnant of feelings and emotions. "Ultimately, we feel more about color than we think about it." Bogt said. Colors create a special atmosphere. This atmosphere can only be felt by watching his works in reality.
The exhibition runs until January 31, 2021.