exhibitions 2022

PS is pleased to present recent work by the Dutch/Australian artist Matthijs Gerber.

The exhibition comprises a selection of works produced by the artist as part of an ongoing series. Other than their size (60 x 50 cm) and material (oil on canvas), the paintings don’t have anything in common; their function for the artist is largely a diaristic one. Where various technical and formal changes happen, they are recorded from day to day, and make use of the contradictions and juxtapositions between elements and layers. Rather than working from a specific idea or design toward a singular outcome, these paintings are constructed by ongoing developments and organic growth.

In contrast to the much larger scale works produced by the artist where the gestures are body-sized, these smaller works allow for more immediate explorations of the handmade. A gesture, a drip and a shape can be viewed more as handwriting, signwriting or calligraphy.

Test Paintings continue the artist’s concentration on developing spaces to incorporate coexisting but opposing actions and consequences within the same painting. Various techniques are used including fast, slow, dripping, smudging, blending, taping (including bad and bleeding), fingers, spray, rollers etc.

The paintings in this series are omnivorous. Gerber’s emphasis is on facilitating relationships between sometimes conflicting differences of style and genre - geometric patterns, expressionist gestures, monochrome, surreal illusions, graphic art and advertising. All these painterly techniques, including historical, commercial and artistic reference points, combine to glorify the paradox of a single work – one painting.

Matthijs Gerber (Delft 1956) moved to Denmark in 1964 and Australia in 1971. He lives in the Netherlands since 2020. His work is held in all major collections in Australia and
has been exhibited internationally including a retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia (2015), Beijing International Biennale, China (2003) and Bienal de Valencia, Spain (2001). He is represented by Sarah Cottier Gallery, Sydney.