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| Installation view of David Ostrowski's solo exhibition 'Menschen, Bilder, Emotionen' at Leeahn Gallery Seoul / Courtesy of Leeahn Gallery |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
German artist David Ostrowski pursues "meaninglessness" and "worthlessness" in his abstract paintings, denying perfectionism in conventional oil painting.
Ostrowski's first exhibition in Korea, titled "Menschen, Bilder, Emotionen" (People, Pictures, Emotions) is being held at the Leeahn Gallery Seoul in downtown Seoul through May 18.
"The artist wanted to go by this exhibition title as he wants viewers to get into communications through his works," the exhibit's curator Sung Shin-young said.
Studied at Kunstakademie Dusseldorf, Ostrowski's early works were figurative paintings, but his style diverted drastically in 2014.
"Ideas are completely overrated," Ostrowski is quoted saying. "I try to get to ground zero ― to start at the beginning. Knowledge can be annoying and has to be suppressed sometimes."
Traditionally, figurative oil painting pursues perfection and artists paint over to remedy mistakes. Ostrowski objected to such perfectionism and brought errors, mistakes, accidents and incompleteness to his canvas.
Abstract lines or planes are often interpreted as the artist's spirituality, but Ostrowski is opposed to such a pedantic take as well.
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| David Ostrowski's 'F (-)' (2019) / Courtesy of the artist and Leeahn Gallery |
His signature "F" series comes from German word "fehler," which translates into failure or error. Lines drawn quickly with blue spray paint or pencils do not express the artist's intentions but records momentary mistakes.
"Ostrowski wants to convey the energy of mistakes to the viewers. He minimizes the artist's intervention and leaves room for interpretation," the curator said. "However, we can observe some variations in his works with change of strokes or attached materials such as cotton and paper on canvas."
He even draws with his left hand, making the lines appear more amateurish.
"This hints that Ostrowski wants to step out of traditional art history. It could relate to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring's works which evolved from graffiti but eventually were incorporated in the history of fine art," Sung said.
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| David Ostrowski's 'F (Bauleere)' (2019) / Courtesy of the artist and Leeahn Gallery |
The artist, who could not visit Korea due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, meticulously designed the exhibit space by himself.
"The paintings are hung relatively low, avoiding the typical overwhelming installation style in white cube gallery spaces. Some paintings are hung from the ceiling, instead of the wall," the curator explained. "This allows viewers to experience the paintings as they receive the environment and artwork together."
To closely examine "F (N)" and "F (Deutscher Filmpreis)," both hanging from the ceiling, back-to-back, viewers have to step on another piece of art "F (Glas im Auge)," which is a luxury rug made of wool from New Zealand.
"Ostrowski revolts against traditional high art and lets the viewers experience this rebellion by stepping on to this opulent rug designed by the artist," Sung explained.
