PRESS RELEASE

Markus Weggenmann: it could be sweet

November 12, 2010 – January 22, 2011

it could be sweet is Markus Weggenmann’s first exhibition of new works at the Galerie ftc. in Berlin since

2008.

Weggenmann initially became known for his abstract forms in colorful, brilliant hues, rendered in industrially

manufactured auto paint. His new show also features works of this type. Due to the way his works are

produced, the painter recedes behind his work, but it is the effect of the colors that is of primary importance,

not the individual style. Nevertheless, the objects in each of these recent paintings appear to be identifiable,

so that this new body of work is not quite as abstract as the previous one.

Weggenmann turned to the genre of still life painting to create this fresh group of works, which are the first of

his paintings to feature specific subjects. In this way, he introduces into his painting a tendency that leans in

the direction of the object. He collects forms into ensembles that convey images of familiar things: bowls of

fruits and vegetables, or vases filled with colorful bouquets of flowers, and some of these paintings are

unusually large in size.

The title of the exhibition is also a reference to this genre: Weggenmann’s palette is extremely intense in

color and there is such a sense of artificiality about the paintings that they teeter on the edge of sweetness

and pleasantry. Not only are some of the objects literally sweet, but, depending on one’s perception, the

colors and shapes are, too, and they are difficult to circumvent. Weggenmann very deliberately sounds the

depths of the tolerable, coming as close as possible to the notorious razor’s edge. He has retained the

splendid colors and intense luminosity of his earlier works, while the palette is more extreme, ranging from

brash and gaudy to reserved and quiet; at the same time, the selection of motifs and presentational styles is

broader, more similar to traditional still life painting.

It might seem odd that the artist would shift to object-oriented painting, after so many years spent working

with the abstract. However, if we recall that the basis for this step is, as it always has been, primordial,

spontaneous painting—for here, too, we can still recognize the energetic flow of the forms emerging from the

brush—it becomes clear that the artist is still building upon his earlier works. Simultaneously, Weggenmann

is discovering his own unique ways of dealing with the genre, since neither the gestural components nor the

intensity of the colors are lost—although spatial depth and structure are not determined by color and form

alone; instead, for the first time, they are also created by things.

Thus, we might say that Weggenmann is expanding his playing field and embarking upon new paths. In turn,

the observer is still able to recognize familiar shapes within a new context of motifs, but can also experience

the immediate sensuality of color in a quasi-sensual genre, the still life.

Markus Weggenmann lives and works in Zurich and Berlin.