Ted Green
Painting | Installation
23.07.2021 – 05.09.2021
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 15-19 h, Sat 14-18 h
The first marks, expressive and gestural, are followed by meticulous planning of the further proceedings on the canvas: measuring of intervals and stencil design. Two seemingly contradictory work methods intertwine. Gradually and almost technocratically, the aggregate shapes are built up in repeating, staccato-like patterns. Organized into columns or rows, they create their own rhythm - a musical-mathematical harmony of inner landscapes.
The fact that Green studied biology in his native California before studying at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and has never abandoned his fascination with nature and physical phenomena shines through in his work. Organic forms, serpentine lines, earthy colors predominate in the abstract compositions which nevertheless allow for breaks, edges, distortions
In addition to light/shadow interplays, colors and surfaces are layered in the painting, allowing for spatial depth and voluminous convexity. The three-dimensional illusion ties in with Green’s installation works on paper, which physically protruded into the gallery space. The stencils made for this purpose still serve him as an archive today and mark a continuously evolving visual language in his oeuvre. “I’ve found my voice,” Green says of this body of work that he has been working on since 2017.
The riddling image titles are literally the answer to the riddle: they are drawn from the Sunday crossword puzzle in the New York Times. In playful randomness, Green picks the most appropriately ambiguous ones. They testify with a witty humor to the pleasure of interpretative openness that non-objective painting offers him and that is inherent to his work.
Text: Alina Samsonija