Andreas Schulze: Looking and Listening at Sprüth Magers

Anyone looking for evidence of the influence of the avant-garde movement should look no further than the work of German artist Andreas Schulze. New works of his will be shown this summer at the Sprüth Magers gallery in Mayfair.

The material exhibited clearly draws much inspiration from Dadaism, surrealism and symbolism, breaking traditional understandings of space and time and recreating them in an anti-hierarchical presentation.

The exhibition consists of a series of new images depicting Schulze’s artistic pilgrimage to Sicily. The pieces show a dynamic use of geometric shapes and there is an interesting psychoanalytical element to be seen in the emotional use of colour and perspective.

Two pieces were of particular interest. First, Untitled (Sea Vista 2), which presents a soothing s-shaped beach with bright colours and flowing lines seen through a hole in a wall. This is reminiscent of Borges’ Aleph, where a point in space allows one to see the whole of the universe clearly. This theme of parts representing the whole carried through the exhibit, with the painter using the same palette throughout. Another standout piece was the beautiful Untitled (Seascape/5 Types of Water) in which mountainous blue waves fill the frame, with other water states accompanying the liquid sea that takes on an eerie concreteness. Indeed, all the pieces in the exhibit play with lines and perspective, notably Untitled (Bed by the Sea 2) where the rocky shore assumes a humanoid shape, its soft lines contrasting with the spiky sea.

Following along this anthropomorphic line, Looking and Listening also showcases two ceramic sculptures. These flower pots are shaped like the artist’s head, with plants growing out of the top, calling back to another of the artist’s interests: our modern pursuit of equanimity. Thus the show comes full circle, with the curvaceous lines of human Sicily lulling the viewer into calm.

Despite all these interesting elements, Looking and Listening fails to seize the viewer in any visceral sense. The works are interesting on an intellectual level but do not imprint themselves on the mind. The exhibition is valuable on an intellectual level, exploring perspective and space.

Eleanor Foulkes
Photos: Dimitris Amvrazis

Looking and Listening is at Sprüth Magers London until August 17^th 2013. For further information, visit here.