ULRICH ERBEN

For his second exhibition at Sies + Höke, Ulrich Erben has conceived a group of twelve paintings, each measuring 100 x 80 cm, of which six are black and six are white. While the works are devoid of chromaticity, they are by no means monochromatic. Segmented horizontally, each painting features an intense range of tones that oscillate between lighter and darker hues of black or white. These gradations are so subtle, and carried out to such perfection, that they evoke illusions of movement and depth, challenging the viewer's spatial perception. There are dialogues between the upper and lower halves of the paintings, between the vertical and horizontal. Together, the group of paintings seems to transcend colour to become something spiritual.