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What You Need to Know: On view through June 8, 2024, Galerie Max Hetzler in Berlin is presenting the exhibition “Mark Grotjahn: Kitchens,” the artist’s debut solo show with the gallery. Featuring Grotjahn’s large-scale “Butterfly” drawings, the ongoing series is one of his most recognizable, incorporating geometric compositions and vibrant, juxtaposing color palettes. Notable from this series is the “50 Kitchens,” which was first exhibited in 2018 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The present “Kitchen Drawings” stem from the “Butterfly” compositions begun in 2001, but are conceived of as a single, continuous endeavor that derive from an initial piece the artist made to hang in his home kitchen. Executed in colored pencil on paper, they are perceived variably depending on the ambient light of the space they are exhibited.
About the Artist: Los Angeles-based American artist Mark Grotjahn (b. 1968) is widely recognized for his graphic, abstract paintings that synthesize elements of Color Field painting, Op art, and Constructivism. Leveraging the expressiveness of color and meticulousness of line and perspective, his work—which encompasses painting, drawing, and sculpture—explores the possibilities of contemporary abstraction. Some of his most acclaimed bodies of work include the “Butterfly” compositions, as well as mask sculptures made from bronze and cardboard boxes. He has been the subject of dozens of solo exhibitions around the world, and his work can be found in numerous institutional collections, including the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica.
Why We Like It: With each individual work in “Kitchens” conceived of by the artist as facets of a cohesive whole, it is immediately experientially apparent to visitors that it is not possible to perceive every work at the same time. The installed works instead move from center to peripheral focus, creating a prismatic viewing experience that is made further variable by the color schemes and ambient lighting of the gallery space. The mesmeric geometries and changeable vantages speak to the artist’s mastery of light, color, and perception. Time and space are also brought into the equation, as the works must be moved between, and recalling the artist’s original inspiration (of creating a work for his own kitchen), the immutability of the work reminds the viewer of what changes outside the frame, bestowing a sense of totemic significance to each drawing.
See featured works below.
Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Grass Green and Cerulean Blue Butterfly 55.61) (2023). Photo: Douglas M. Parker Studio. © Mark Grotjahn. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin.
Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Mineral Orange and Blush Pink Butterfly 52.43) (2019). Photo: Ruben Diaz. © Mark Grotjahn. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin.
Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Pink and Carmine Red Butterfly 55.14) (2023). Photo: Douglas M. Parker Studio. © Mark Grotjahn. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin.
Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Violet Blue and Cadmium Orange Hue Butterfly 55.06) (2022). Photo: Douglas M. Parker Studio. © Mark Grotjahn. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin.
Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Canary Yellow and Lemon Yellow Butterfly 55.54) (2023). Photo: Douglas M. Parker Studio. © Mark Grotjahn. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin.
“Mark Grotjahn: Kitchens” is on view at Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin, through June 8, 2024.
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