Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2013), all images courtesy Team Gallery, Inc.
Currently on view at Team Gallery in Lower Manhattan is a solo show from Belgian artist Pieter Vermeersch, composed of large paintings on canvas and wall murals, for which he has employed techniques of grid painting and color mapping, reminiscent of Gerhard Richter and Robert Bechtle. The exhibition will continue through April 27, 2014.
Pieter Vermeersch (Installation View)
Vermeersch has undergone a number of recent experiments with the aesthetics of relation and interaction in his work, “stripping down painting to its essential qualities of light, color and space.” Through these minimal works, he seeks to reflect on the fundamental process of image creation, and has transformed the space of the gallery into an immersive experience. The paintings require extreme attention to detail and quick work – he must finish his works in uninterrupted sittings lasting sometimes up to twelve hours, so that the canvases dry exactly evenly. Therefore, he makes exacting plans beforehand of the necessary steps to create what he wants, in order to execute the painting process at a very fast pace.
Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2013)
Vermeersch’s method of systemized, mechanical works is self-described as a pursuit of a Neue Sachlichkeit – an impersonal means of image-creation, emphasizing technique over personality and individual expression. His wall murals, also on view, embrace a similar philosophy.
Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2013)
Also on display is a slab of marble dabbed lightly in different colors of paint. Rather than an expression of something symbolic, this is meant to be a representation of Vermeersch’s interest in how paint changes an otherwise plain, familiar surface, how minimal inflections of color and texture transform the art object.
Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2013)
Born in 1973 in Kortrijk, Belgium, Vermeersch currently lives and works in Brussels. He has exhibited often throughout Belgium and The Netherlands, and has also held exhibitions in France, Germany, Luxembourg, the United Kingdowm, and Spain. This exhibition is Vermeersch’s first exhibition at Team, and his second ever in the United States.
The exhibition at Team’s 83 Grand Street location will continue through April 27, 2014.
Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2013)
—E. Baker
Related Links:
Exhibition page [Team]
