Artist: Bernd Ribbeck

Galerie Peter Kilchmann presents the very first solo exhibition of works by Bernd Ribbeck (born in 1974) in France, hosted in the Project Space in Paris. For this presentation, the artist has created works specifically tailored to the space, including an illusionistic wall installation and several small-scale paintings.

These pieces are intricately designed rhythmic and geometric sequences of forms and colors, which spread across the entire surface of the substrates and beyond, following an expansive all-over principle. Ribbeck employs a variety of techniques (acrylic, pigmented markers on MDF) and layers of color, sanding them down during the process to create translucent layers that evoke an enigmatic energetic interplay of elements, which seem to emerge and recede in an almost magical way. Despite their almost rigid compositions, his works transcend pure abstraction and veer into the realm of narrative, encouraging the viewer to delve into unexpected interpretive spaces shaped by the contrasting forces of compression and expansion. Despite the outward-tending 'melody,' the very small formats also possess a magnetic pull, drawing the viewer in like rare and complex pieces of jewelry, inviting a profound and intimate engagement through careful observation.