Printmaking – Precision and Freedom

We cordially invite you to the vernissage on Friday, December 6, 2024, 7 p.m.

Printmaking – precision and freedom

Exhibition: 08.12.2024–02.02.2025

Artists

Artworks:
Hans-Joachim Billib , Eberhard Franke , Klaus Fußmann , Gisa Hausmann, Oona Hyland, Aude de Kerros, Gisela Kohl , Arkadi Kolchanow , Anett Lau , Philipp Mager , Oleg Mikhailov , Paul Ouwerkerk , Jürgen Peters, Edvardas Racevicius , Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt, Eddy Smith , Tigran Tokmajyan, Jürgen Wittdorf and others

For the third time, gallery Wolf & Galentz is dedicating an exhibition to printmaking in its manifold forms.
The title – Precision and Freedom – refers to the extraordinary range of artistic possibilities in printmaking: it allows both very free, relaxed work and incredible attention to detail with disciplined precision; but it also contains the idea that under certain circumstances it might be the very necessity of rigidly following rules in dealing with the material that can open up a space of freedom.

Another interesting question is whether or not the rigour of printmaking in an artist’s work is contrasted by a particular boldness or looseness in other artistic genres, such as oil painting. With this question in mind, prints by individual artists are shown next to selected paintings from their oeuvre.
The exhibition brings together works by artists that we regularly show, including Gisa Hausmann, Philipp Mager and Jürgen Peters, and works by artists that we have not yet been able to honour properly, among them the American Edwin Dickman, who lived in Berlin until his death in January 2024, and the Parisian Aude de Kerros. Works by the now highly recognised artist Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt will also be on display, as well as works on paper by Anett Lau, another Berliner.

International Artists

In keeping with the focus of our gallery programme, in this exhibition we are showing art from the 20th century side by side with contemporary positions as well as works from Eastern European countries alongside those from the West: lithographs and sketches by Oleg Mikhailov from St. Petersburg; lino prints and oil studies by the Armenian Tigran Tokmajyan; copper prints and other works on paper by Eddy Smith from London; screen prints and a painting on canvas by Paul Ouwerkerk from Amsterdam.

Material and chance

Before the development of modern reproduction methods, printmaking techniques were mainly used to reproduce images in large numbers. This is very different today, where artists experiment with material, let chance play its role in the process and explore the manifold possibilities of printmaking techniques in an extraordinarily inventive way, creating artistic small editions and even unique pieces.
Lithuanian artist Edvardas Racevicius’ beautiful wooden sculptures lend a spatial element to the show.
The exhibition will offer fascinating juxtapositions and promises many discoveries that we want to make together with you.