SETAREH is pleased to announce the latest series of works by Wolfgang Betke under the title and suddenly: THE SWEET COOL SCENT OF MORNING FOREST. The artist's process-oriented pictorial genesis, which explores and reveals the conditions and processes of creation underlying the medium of painting itself, positions him within the group of renowned painters whose works have transcended the boundaries of the medium over the last two decades and had an influence on contemporary German painting.
Wolfgang Betke's works draw from a world of thought derived from an in-depth exploration of contemporary paradigms and the philosophical questions they raise. The artist draws on a world of reflection that is derived from an inner contemplation on contemporary times and philosophical matters. In his latest series of works, he alludes to the journey of the legendary Chinese philosopher Lao Tse, who is considered the founder of Taoism, by means of work titles such as Lao Tse near the border or Lao Tse beyond the border. Anthropomorphic forms, such as a human figure under the folds of a long robe, recall the depiction of the philosopher in ancient Chinese painting. In another painting, one believes to glimpse the horn of the ox he was riding. Such narrative hints, however, are quickly dissolved into fragments again and thus offer space for one's own interpretations of the compositions which subtly oscillate between the abstract and the figurative.
The works on canvas and wood presented in the exhibition, which were composed during a creative period from 2015 to 2022, reveal a multi-layered creative process that characterizes Wolfgang Betke's unique painterly technique. Paint is applied directly out of the tube, using brushes, palette knives or even a burned tree stump, and in some cases, following the drying process, it is partially removed with gestural movements using a grinder. The artist exposes overlapping layers of time and provides a profound insight into the genesis of the paintings, which sometimes spans several years. In this process of construction and dissolution, addition and subtraction, Betke occasionally goes to the extent of causing holes in the canvas that disrupt the two-dimensional pictorial space, thus sculpturally enhancing the works' qualities. Betke explores the object-like in large-format sculptures and paravents, some of which are enhanced by paintings on aluminium.
The works may be perceived as spiritual compositions that visually explore both an external and an internal world to the same depth and, analogous to a Daoist view of the world embody an interplay of opposites that constitute human existence. The constantly changing forms reflect a state between limitation and the infinite, - a permanent change of all phenomena. Betke's works can be described as painterly interpretation of his personal feeling towards the time we live in, as an artistic journey into the complexity of human existence itself.
Originally from Düsseldorf, Wolfgang Betke (*1958) has lived and worked in Berlin since the mid- 1990s. The upcoming presentation of the most recent works is his third solo exhibition at SETAREH Gallery. After completing a degree in philosophy and art history, Betke studied art at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg under Franz Erhard Walter. In addition to painting, he also explores poetry and performance art.
Press release courtesy SETAREH.
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