Gregor Gleiwitz's expansive paintings that comprise his new exhibition at SETAREH, Sun Script, are an internalized exploration of the natural world, caught in the glare of the sun, as an aesthetic contemplation of our place in the universe.

One work in particular resonates this glare, a spotted surface reminiscent of looking directly at the sun with closed eyelids. Layers over layers of heavily diluted, glossy paint, interrupted by swirls and scrapes of a palette knife which create a material memory of the painting process, forming orbs and biomorphic shapes, bathed in light. The objects depicted are familiar and tan- gible, yet hardly discernible as they float across the canvas. They fluctuate placidly or whirl feverishly in the indefinite dimensions at this intersection of abstraction and figuration. Rendered in highly expressive, gestural brushstrokes, they are impressions from the world making its way around the sun, which according to the artist, is able to transform our perspective of it.

Gleiwitz, seeking to understand his standpoint on this earth, embarked on long walks in the countryside near his studio, watercolors in hand to develop studies which would guide his impressions for the large scale oil works. Out in the field, he sought to capture the natural world around him, and himself as a part of its ever-changing tapestry, aware that a still life is never truly still. He worked in situ within the landscape, but unlike conventional en plein air painters, who faithfully reproduced the subtle changes in light throughout the day, he broke with the tradition and painted in bright, direct sunlight. He observed how the dazzling light amplified the colors, deepened the shadows, and imbued everything it touched with an almost unreal quality. Later, in his studio, in a process akin to the inner workings of a camera obscura, the artist disas- sembled and morphed his watercolor sketches into a new vision. His process unfolds in a single, uninterrupted session, as evidenced by the titles of his works, which are named for the date of completion—a testament to the time he spends painting what words cannot express. The resulting paintings are a tangled web of curves and lines, abstract at first glance yet still deeply rooted in nature. They transport the viewer into an otherworldly realm where the laws of nature bend and distort. Earthy tones clash with vivid, unnatural hues, creating a sense of disorientation. Almost uninterrupted brushstrokes dance across the canvas, their ancestral rhythm hinting at faces, leaves, veins—an amalgamation of organic matter bathed in glorious sunlight.

Gleiwitz's paintings are a vertiginous kaleidoscope of the natural world, his academic training, his conscious mind, and his subconscious depths. Dynamic brushstrokes and vibrant colors evoke a sense of wild energy and movement, while the ethereal light imbues the scene with an eerie aura. The tension between these Apollonian and Dionysian states is palpable yet perfectly balanced— a reflection of the essential duality of life. The paintings created for Sun Script reflect our collective experience. During this time of uncertainty and upheaval, we have been forced to confront our own mortality and to question our place in the world. The sun prevails until it doesn't anymore, but while it does it shines down on us and serves as a reminder that we are all part of the whole, connected to the natural world and to each other.

Press release courtesy SETAREH.