As part of the exhibition, Laura Sachs and Udo Nöger engage in a formal dialogue, exploring the interplay of surface, silence, complexity, simplicity, and meaning. Rooted in a profound relationship between form and light, Sachs and Nöger invite viewers to explore within the silent spaces of their work.
Udo Nöger stretches layers of painted and cut up canvases on the frame, creating a special permeability and revealing a semi transparent, and fragile texture. His paintings then evoke a sense of delicate tissue, bathed in hues of blue and light purple. This unique method results in paintings that capture light and energy, questioning our relationship within the layers of life itself. The shimmering forms are intended to show the luminescence of color (the spontaneous emission of radiation from an electronically excited species). In his current works on paper, which were created in Florida in 2022-23, Nöger works with charcoal. The gestural style underlines Nöger's urge to be spontaneous and honest.
"Every work has to be good right from the start. Nothing is pushed back and forth, not much thought is given to it. Let everything come, let it go and implement it straight away. That's what it's all about for me. That's why I work with paper."
In contrast to Nöger, Laura Sachs complements her primed canvases with cold metals, warmer wood, fabric or fine studio dust. She creates multi-perspective objects that, despite their minimalist compositions and the heavy metal bands, evoke a sense of dynamism. The Berlin-based artist allows the processual elements - the washed-out application of paint or the porous paint structure - to shine through and thus forcing the viewer to engage with its nature.
Thanks to her clear aesthetic and a reduced formal language, Sachs’ works assert themselves as pictorial bodies in space. They however evolve - just like Nöger's works - when visitors move their point of view or the incidence of light changes. A work by Laura Sachs is composed of many views and diverse materialities as she actively engages in a dialogue with her artworks, fostering an intrinsic conversation that seamlessly extends to the exhibited pieces. In this blend of elements and texture, Sachs and Nöger converge, offering an exploration of the silent layers within.
"In philosophy, you get to the bottom of things. This approach still corresponds to my artistic search today." Laura Sachs
Udo Nöger was born in Enger (North Rhine-Westphalia) in 1961. From 1980-1983, he studied painting at the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. He went to the USA on a scholarship from the Heinz Nixdorf Institute, where he has lived and worked for more than thirty years. Nöger has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe, Asia, North and South America. His works can be found in important private and public collections such as The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art etc.
Laura Sachs (*1985 in Darmstadt) initially studied philosophy and art in Frankfurt am Main before moving to the Düsseldorf Art Academy in 2013. Coming from a painting background, she continued her studies in sculptural practice in the classes led by Professor Hubert Kiecol and Professor Gregor Schneider. She graduated from the latter as a master student in 2018. Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad, including at institutions such as K21, the Kunstsammlung NRW and the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf. She lives and works in Berlin.