Benjamin Degen “As We Breathe”

Benjamin Degen “As We Breathe”

Susan Inglett Gallery

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Susan Inglett Gallery presents As We Breathe, a series of new paintings and works on paper by BENJAMIN DEGEN, in his fifth solo exhibition with the gallery from 2 February to 11 March 2023. The artist will be present 4 March from 5-7 PM.

Human affairs come and go while rivers and mountains are essentially changeless…The painter’s task is not simply to capture the outer form of his subject. It is even more important to grasp its spirit or essence and to make this visible to the viewer.
– Wang Yao-t’ing

Employing the visual language of drawing, Degen creates a series of paintings that take the viewer on a journey into the artist’s world. Inspired by Eastern and Western aesthetic, philosophical, musical, and esoteric traditions, Degen fills his work with a metaphysical aura that visually articulates humanity’s inextricable connection to the earth.

Trees and mountains turn to the warmth of the rising sun at dawn while the oceans respond to the pull of the moon. Whether sketching a figure transcendent in the natural world or rendering the luminous qualities of a moonlit scene, Degen’s mark-making radiates with a dynamism that transforms everyday events into a mystical experience. With each gesture, he imbues his work with life.

An image will arrive. I’ll pull out my sketchbook to quickly get it down on paper. This sketch is usually a collection of elements (a figure or objects) in a very particular composition. The composition and the elements are of equal importance. The shape may be the important thing. The number may be important. The pieces fit together like an equation, the words in a sentence, or notes in a melody.
– Benjamin Degen

BENJAMIN DEGEN (b. 1976) makes paintings and drawings defined by decisive, rhythmic gestures. Degen places the viewer within scenes ranging from vast seaside horizons to dense cityscapes, making us keenly aware of our visual and physical experience of the world around us. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, NYC; The Hort Foundation, NYC; the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College; Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia; and The Nerman MoCA, Overland Park, among others.

Media

• Painting
• Drawing

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