Imi Knoebel (*1940)

Garish colours and raw wooden edges take the viewer aback. But then, after the initial shock, one starts to register the subtle workings of the tension between the apparent immateriality of the gloss-painted surfaces and the sheer presence of the weighty material. Imi Knoebel repeatedly refers to artistic movements from the past. In his Genter Raum he is playing on the reduced formal repertoire of the Russian painter Kasimir Malevich. But Knoebel is neither seeking a utopia of some kind, like Malevich, nor social engagement, like his teacher Joseph Beuys. Faced with the seeming barrenness of his work, viewers have to deal with their own response as best they can. ___