NYAB Event - Christoph Worringer Exhibition

Christoph Worringer Exhibition

Lucas Schoormans Gallery

This event has ended.

Worringer’s second exhibition at the gallery consists of a group of paintings including a panoramic narrative accompanied by fifteen preparatory studies and smaller panels depicting isolated subjects and figures. This body of work represents a deeper examination into the artist’s interest in continuously changing perspective, aggressive layering, and unexpected use of scale.

The exhibition’s central focus is Grund, a singular work in which Worringer depicts seemingly disparate events occurring simultaneously. Cinematic layers unfold to reveal a sightless, recurring character- an effigy of the artist himself- who enacts cryptic, mysterious mise en scenes that may represent crime scenes, war, scientific experimentation, as well as the act of creating art. Illuminated with a haunting aura, the character interacts with cloned versions of himself in Surrealist scenarios that pose questions about identity, individuality, and the concept of a coherent and unique self. Likewise, the smaller works included in the show- the artist’s self-portraits and depictions of his personal possessions- provoke self-contemplation as well as thoughts of loss, struggle, and abandonment.

The works blend allusions of present-day historical events- including references to Iraq and Abu Ghraib among others- and known imagery from art history and various artistic disciplines, recalling work as diverse as that of Max Beckmann, George Grosz, and pre-Renaissance frescoes. Complexly layered through shifting lines of perspective and dramatic contrasts of scale, Worringer’s allegories undermine the notion of a consistent narrative, at once appealing to and questioning the viewer’s preconceptions of space.

[Image: Christoph Worringer "Stifter (Donor)" (2007) oil on canvas 45 1/4 x 35 1/2 in.]