BE THERE
What’s Wrong with MePresented by Leo Koenig Inc. November 20, 2007- December 22, 2007Reception: November 20, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pmNorbert BiskyLeo Koenig Inc. is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new paintings by artist Norbert Bisky. Previously known for his paintings depicting predominately blond-haired blue-eyed boys engaged in feats of endurance, athleticism and occasional debauchery, Bisky’s new works extends his vocabulary towards a new intensity. These paintings are both visually and thematically more aggressive. It is as if the violence and confrontation that was seething just beneath the surface in his previous series of works, has finally erupted, unfettered, onto the canvas. As opposed to a historical perspective, Bisky points out that currently, he is dealing with present day dilemmas, personal and universal. His figures, in many cases are floating, falling, tumbling, without any gravitational axis. Untethered to the earth, they inhabit a landscape thoroughly in flux. The tumult surrounding the figures is punctuated by the cross pollination of cues from Christian ideology, art history, gay culture, pornography and apocalyptic visions. The feigned utopia and ideal previously referenced in his work has all but evaporated. It is as if the artist has turned the intent of his paintings inside out, no longer finding any reason for restraint or polite analogy. The works are abrupt, insistent and crucially tied to this particular moment in time. In them, there exists a dizzying choice of belief systems, and amalgam of desire, though rooted still to the commonality of false promise. Bisky further highlights the urgency of these works by the utilization of bold color along with a peculiar arrangement of space on the canvas. Soft pastels have been replaced by deep and bright colors, partially inspired by the artists’ various trips to Brazil. Objects and figures are arranged in many cases, as if a tornado has lifted everything off of their moorings, embodying a very personal sense of upheaval. In all, Bisky transmits an impression of instability on the canvas that distinctly resonates with our contemporary state of affairs. Norbert Bisky was born in Leipzig, Germany. He graduated from the Hochschule de Künste in Berlin where he was a master student of George Baselitz. He also studied with Jim Dine at the Salzburg Summer Academy. He has had solo exhibitions at the Museum Junge Kunst, Frankfurt, Manheimer Kunstverein, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin and the Contemporary Art Center in Vilnius. Norbert Bisky’s work has been acquired by many public collections, notably, The Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Museum of Modern Art, NY, Museum Der Bildenden Kunst, Leipzig. Norbert Bisky lives and works in Berlin. For further information or visuals, please contact Elizabeth Balogh or Nicole Russo at the gallery.
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