ROADS OF ABSTRACTION is an exhibition that aims to highlight the many facets of abstract art but also the personal and unique path taken by each of the artists in order to arrive at the abstract works they produce today.
Jan Kaláb (CZ) – MadC (DE) – Anja Klafki (DE) – Hiroshi Harada (Japan / France)
Jan Kaláb (CZ) was one of the pioneers who started bringing urban art into Eastern European countries after the borders opened upin the early 90‘s (His name’s Cakes and Point) presents vibrant and dynamic compositions that meld the versatility of his canvas medium with the layered depth of sculpture. Incorporating studies in structure and mood, the artist delivers paintings resplendent in organic form. Playing with variations in geometry, Kaláb paints on constructed canvases of various shapes and combinations.
MadC (DE) was born as Claudia Walde in Germany in 1980. Throughout 22 years of constant engagement with graffiti and street art she worked her way up from a teenager starting off with a spray can to one of the worlds top street artists. MadC’s style has its roots in graffiti art, resulting in vividly coloured, dynamic calligraphy and transparency where all layers shine through and thereby capture the energy of painting on a massive scale in the street, without using a direct graffiti language. Her unique use of colour, composition and layering are perfectly paired with the spontaneously and fast painted lines of the calligrapher. The abstract paintings boast of energy and depths.
Anja Klafki (DE) follows the fragmentary view of landscape and explores the description of landscapes. What does the minimal imaging repertoire consist of to define a landscape visually? How do we recognize and perceive landscape? Her showcased works are increasingly freed from figurative references to give way to the colors and sensations that a landscape gives us.
Hiroshi Harada (Japan / France) born in 1942 is a Japanese painter, he studied at Musashino School of Art in Tokyo where he met his mentor Takeo Yamaguchi*. Following the footsteps of his master, Hiroshi Harada was particularly receptive to Western painting. Hiroshi Harada does not respect the laws of pure geometry. The lines he draws are not often steady. Contrary to Mondrian, he does not use the classic principles of the golden rule. He plays with space and tries to give it not only a meaning but also a sensibility. He produces something coming from the ancient Masters of Chinese and Japanese painting, which is the thought behind the gesture, which prevails over the gesture itself. He metamorphoses this inheritance.