JONAS BURGERT

Burgert creates a wide range of marks and depth, all culminating the new exhibition Blindstich. The use of luminous colour and grotesque figures celebrates the balance between memory and imagination. Jonas Burgert did his first solo show in Hong Kong in 2019 at Tang Contemporary Art Gallery. This exhibition Blindstich will be his second one for Tang Contemporary Art.

‘Blindstich’ is a collection of Jonas Burgert newest works. The work Blindstich reviles a smudged room filled obscure objects lying on the floor in bright and dark colour. The work portrays a figure dressed in different colourful drapes and vegetation looking leaves in purple and green, with silky, fluttering ribbons and colourful geometries covering the chest and head, the figure showcases the mythological and mystical elements which are often present in Burgert’s paintings. The figure gazes directly into the viewers eyes, and is placed in the centre of the painting. The background is lifeless expect for the colour green which dances in the background. Observing the painting it feels as if a new world, culture and time opens up to us, and leaves us eager to further explore the colourful universe that exists within Jonas Burgert.

‘For me is not interesting to show what it’s there, for me it’s interesting to show what’s also there. The subtext. I try to see what’s behind the people around me. What’s behind the surface.’ Says Burgert. ‘Painting is a visual media; how can I show what’s behind the surface visually. Maybe it’s a very little thing, sometimes I make very little gestures, sometimes I make very it dramatic. It’s interesting for me to see what’s behind the scene, and not only the bad things, also the good things.’

Burgert uses both large surfaces with great visual impact and smaller canvases for a deeper examination into individual subjects, with portraits of mystique characters. If they were under a microscope. Burgert has the quality to introduce us to a visual collection of events and individuals in which we can identify us with. His paintings reveal human figures dressed in odd costumes, decorated faces, and obscure objects. What is carcass and what is alive is often unclear. Darkness looms in the paintings of Burgert, which reminds the viewer of the dangerous play of life and death. It’s clear to see references of renaissance and the Flemish masters such as Hieronymus Bosch are apparent in Burgert’s paintings.

Burgert uses a very strong and bold palette. Colour is for Burgert very abstract. ‘In the end, we feel colour more than we think colour.’ The viewer thinks about the narrative in Burgert’s paintings. Us as viewers spend time deciphering the meaning of objects, figures, and backgrounds. But colour is something we feel not something we think about. For Burgert colour a way of maintaining of abstract language in the painting that in the end leaves a residue of feeling and emotions. And therefore, create a special atmosphere. An atmosphere which only can be experienced in real life viewing of his works.