Upcoming Exhibition

No Portrait. No Pornography
Paintings by Lars Theuerkauff
14th of May until 25th June, 2010

Cain Schulte Contemporary Art Berlin presents the exhibition ‘No Portrait. No Pornography’, introducing paintings by Berlin artist Lars Theuerkauff. The exhibition will open with a reception on May 14 and is on view until June 25.

In the same way a stone seems still when thrown into the air and before it falls back onto the earth, a painting must be dynamic as it is still. Lars Theuerkauff points to the essence of his creations, which are based on the observation of the emotional tensions of life. Consequently, the artist investigates the areas between closeness and distance, darkness and light – and ultimately – stagnation and movement. With an impressive aesthetic, the paintings blur these antipodes in a subtle and impalpable way.

Even though Theuerkauff plays with the visual vocabulary of intimacy through the obvious exploration of the nudeness of his figures, the viewer is never certain of what this intimate world might reveal. The subjects force us into a tension-filled position somewhere between privacy and voyeurism. Yet, at the same time, they push us back into an undefined darkness and uncertainty. With this experience, we are prompted to fill the empty spots that arise as the paintings deploy their own dynamics. The figures are gazing at us out of their mysterious world, without ever fully conveying their being – or desiring to do so.

With his work, Theuerkauff is bringing forth a fascinating comment on the continuous renewal of the understanding of human relationships in an era highly influenced by the media. Habitual assumptions are marked with a formidable question mark and in doing so, Theuerkauff invites us to look at categories such as closeness, sensitivity, desire, lust, intimacy and passion from an entirely new perspective. Like a film still, the paintings become an intense snap-shot of a greater narration, amplified through his technique of painting, in which many layers of color washes and acrylic paint are sponged, smudged and sprayed onto the canvas. The surface reminds us of the photographic aesthetic of a highly grained silvergelatine print, the cinematographic surface on the screen or the pixilation of computer- generated imagery. The ambiguity of strangeness and intimacy is captured just like in a photographic moment.

Lars Theuerkauff was born in 1968 in Lüneburg, Germany and lives and works as a painter, screenwriter and director in Berlin. He studies painting at the academy of art in Munich with Robin Page and sculpting with Cristina Iglesias. He studied film at the UdK Berlin with Heinz Emigholz.

Opening reception: May 14, 2010, 7 to 10 pm. Artist will be present