NATASCHA SCHMITTEN

»Lamina« is the title of Natascha Schmitten’s new solo exhibition at the Galerie Christian Lethert. The multifaceted meanings of the title are reflected in the artist’s new works, which she constructs in countless layers. Sharp contours or even seams divide the pictorial space, while color gradients create connections. The painterly complexity is also found on the content level, as Natascha Schmitten is always interested in decoding moments of interpersonal encounter.

The presentation spans two levels and begins with the largest works, »Rift III« und »Trans III«, each measuring 250 x 200 cm. As before, the artist has covered the frames with nylon, but the transparent fabric has seams that run across the entire surface of the image. Whether the focus is on the separating or connecting aspect changes with every glance, as with a reversible figure. But it is always about movement, about how the individual opaque and transparent surfaces relate to and interact with each other.

The wall, which extends across both floors, showcases three works: while the upper ones hint at delicate silhouettes in light-flooded pictorial spaces, the work »Weltraum« (Space) is densely painted and, with its strong chiaroscuro, even seems old masterly. Near and distant views intertwine, revealing unexpected expanses and, at the same time, a gesture, a touch as a means of nonverbal communication.

The lower gallery room contains three further works, with »Milkyways IV« revisiting the theme of layering through application. Beneath every surface of Natascha Schmitten’s paintings, there is more than one reality to be discovered and explored. Each perspective reveals new forms and volumes. Sharp contours and flowing shapes alternate, figurative elements emerge from fluid and viscous matter, revealing moments of reality between abstraction.