ERIK SPEHN
Erik Spehn has carved out his own lexiconic niche within contemporary non-objective abstraction. With his signature juxtaposition of hard edges and dense, undulating rivulets of color, Spehn presents his most vigorous expression of color and composition to date.
His most recent work further develops an ongoing investigation into the formal dichotomies and ontological implications that are invariably suggested by the geometric labyrinths of Spehn’s compositions. The primary use of line in these works has been organized into a series of vertical and horizontal bands which are iterated and woven throughout the pictorial space, presenting a host of algorithmic possibilities.
In these new works, the painted ground has been abandoned altogether, allowing the natural linen to remain exposed. This undifferentiated space subsequently provides the eye a passive interlude from the painted gestural activity, inviting the viewer to enter a contemplative space and to pursue a slow, deliberate meditation at the interface of this figure/ground relationship.
Erik Spehn received his BFA from the University of Michigan School of Art, Ann Arbor, MI. He has exhibited at museums and institutions including The Albright–Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, St. Louis, MO; Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO; Saarländisches Künstlerhaus, Saarbrücken, Germany; Centre d'art Contemporain, Metz, France; and more. His work is in numerous public and private collections including Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo, NY; Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO; Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; Microsoft, Arlington, VA; among others.
