Glück Auf diederik gerlach, martin assig, Tobias Gerber

In one of the texts by German poet Novalis, a miner embarks on a subterranean journey and experiences the beauty and mystery of nature with greater intensity than his counterparts above the ground. Inspired by this evocative story, Diederik Gerlach (1956) recognized in Novalis’ miner the deed of the artist, who requires seclusion to get to the core of his creation. His drawings can be seen as an excursion through the subconscious, in which he tries to capture his memories and reflections on life in new images. Among other series, Gerlach presents Intermezzo and Ballade. These titles refer to the musical works of the Romantic era, which inspire the artist in the free and ironic spirit of their composition.

In the drawings, Gerlach builds an inverted world in which fish swim above an ancient city, a ladder defies gravity and organic forms suddenly transform into geometric ones. The exhibition also includes two large works on paper: Mon Père, an ode to his father; and Mon Frère, a self-portrait in which Gerlach depicts himself as a brother. Both portraits feature images of holiday memories, old advertisements, and geometric figures by Josef Albers.

Additionally, Martin Assig (1959) and Tobias Gerber (1961) were invited to participate as guest artists, for Gerlach recognizes them as kindred spirits. They exhibit drawings and gouaches.