February 1 - March 3, 2001

Jakob Gasteiger

"Paintings on Aluminum and Canvas"

Margarete Roeder Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Jakob Gasteiger from February 1 through March 3, 2001. A reception for the artist will be held on Thursday, February 1, from 6- 8 PM. The exhibition will consist of new paintings specially executed in New York. A group of twelve paintings executed in acrylic on aluminum will be supplemented by a large new work on canvas; a selection of small works in oil on canvas will also be shown. The large group of twelve works, each measuring three feet square, has been executed on aluminum panels that "float" off the wall; all are painted by roller with either silver, black, white or gray paint, alternately matte or shiny, entirely covering the surface. These mechanical, almost uninflected, surfaces both invite the viewer's gaze and simultaneously rebuff it. The silver paint additionally references the panels that provide the support, and is indeed composed from the same material: aluminum. As the eye grazes across the surface of the dozen panels, the reading of the whole is fractured by the varid colors, paint finishes, and the evidently clastic composition of the entire wall-sized work. By contrast, the combed surface of the large canvas, akin to hugely enlarged record grooves, presents the viewer with a highly modulated surface that announces its substantial materiality. The combing is simply an adroit means, neither an artistic gesture nor process. The technique of production-one is tempted to say construction-is self-evident: the viscous, gelatinous paint proclaims itself as material more than image. What is most evident in these works-whatever scale or medium is employed by the artist-is the materiality of their composition. With these objectives and techniques Gasteiger seeks to problematize the practice of painting, and the objects themselves. These works present themselves as material, without being sculpture, and seek to efface their own images whilst offering their lush, opulent presence. For further information and photographs, please contact the gallery. TOP ©2000 MARGARETE ROEDER GALLERY 545 BROADWAY FOURTH FLOOR NEW YORK CITY