BERLIN.- VW (VeneKlasen/Werner) presents an exhibition of paintings by Jorge Queiroz. This is the artist's first solo exhibition in Berlin since 2004 and his first exhibition to focus exclusively on paintings.
Jorge Queiroz is a consummate draughtsman of uncommon dexterity and invention. He first gained recognition for works on paper, typically large in scale, in which he freely experimented with a broad range of marks and materials to create pictures that were part drawing, part painting. In recent years Queiroz has concentrated on large canvases, further exploring his hybrid approach to materials. Oil and acrylic paint, vinyl ink, oil stick and traditional drawing media are among the countless tools Queiroz employs in these works. Drawing continues to be the artist's technical and conceptual foundation, yet Queiroz's new paintings prove him to be seductively deft in his handling of paint and color. His beguiling palette and expansive vocabulary of painterly moves lends his new works a greater degree of pictorial clarity and emotional intensity. Queiroz's complex imagery, however surreal or abstract, has never felt more real.
Jorge Queiroz's richly layered paintings slow time, encouraging the viewer toward predominantly visual, non-verbal moments of contemplation and free association. The exhibition at VeneKlasen/Werner presents a group of new paintings in which Queiroz continues to pursue an intense exploration of his subconscious mind and its potential to generate powerful imagery. The results are unsettling visual meditations that fluidly synthesize landscape, figure and abstraction to evoke the feeling of dreams or faded memories. Narratives ebb and flow, stopping short of any clear story or logic. Particular psychological states are suggested but never explicitly depicted. The experience of viewing these paintings is intimate and gently demanding, calling upon the viewer's imagination to locate meaning.
In addition the artist presents two films: June 17 1972 (1998), which was included in the 4th Berlin Biennale in 2006 and Shoe (1999). The films, with their amalgamation of sound, drawing and found footage, create a deeper perspective on the complex artist's practice.
Jorge Queiroz was born in Lisbon in 1966. He has exhibited his work extensively in the United States and throughout Europe, including solo exhibitions at Fundação Carmona e Costa, Lisbon (2012); Museo Serralves, Porto (2007); Horst-Janssen-Museum, Oldenburg (2006); and Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (2004), where he was artist-in-residence. Queiroz participated in the 4th Berlin Biennale (2006); the 26th São Paulo Biennial (2004); and the 50th Venice Biennale (2003). In September of this year Pavilhão Branco, Lisbon, will present a solo exhibition of new works by the artist. Until recently a long-time resident of Berlin, Queiroz currently lives and works in Lisbon.
The exhibition remains on view through 26 April 2014.
