Hong Kong, May 27 – September 3, 2016, http://www.massimodecarlo.com
Massimo De Carlo (MDC) is a new gallery of Milano fame now occupying one half of the 3F Pedder Building space that used to belong to Ben Brown Gallery before. It is therefore somehow fitting that the exhibition presents late work of Günter Förg whose early works have been featured in a Ben Brown exhibition last year. The canvases on display first of all impact by their large size. One wonders how they made it into the gallery at all. Would they fit into a container? The size, as well as the relaxed painting style signifies a late-career work of an established artist. The work is not overcomplicated, but it is well thought through. Conceptual rigor of Förg’s tin canvases painted on their sides gave way to a playful gestural expression, now more formally contained within the white surface of the canvas. In their roughness, ease and positivity the paintings were reminiscent of Henri Matisse’s paper cutouts.
The size of the canvases created a physical experience of being able to almost walk into the painting. The simple colorful spots created a cheerful atmosphere of a fashion apparel shop window decoration. But in both the life experience of a painter could be felt.
