On the occasion of the second edition of Taipei Dangdai in Taiwan in January 2020, Simon Lee Gallery is pleased to present a solo booth of new paintings by French artist, Bernard Frize.
Throughout his career, the artist has revisited and revised his own works from earlier series whilst also exploring new concepts. Frize inspects and elaborates the processes that define painting, with inventive means of applying paint that allow him to develop a profound exploration of his method and of the materiality of the medium. The artist’s process bears likeness to a musical composition that consists of several diverse, whimsical melodies, reminiscent of a Quodlibet. As early as the 15th Century in Europe, the Quodlibet has been widely used featuring a range of notes to evoke a sense of light-hearted emotion. Similarly, the artist’s practice involves a mélange of technique and experimentation. Each painting embodies layers of contradictory data: control and freedom, predictability and uncertainty, offering the viewer a feast of vibrantly colourful and contrasting tones within each painting. The works are as much traces of an act, as they are physical marks of paint, colour and reflected light.
The brush marks and variations in pressure and speed on the painted surface achieve a surprising unpredictability, opening up the exploration of line and colour to new alternatives. Tracing patterns of interconnected and alternating gestures, each loaded with a different hue, a sequence of movements is executed, and results in interlocking, overlapping grids, and basket-like weaved patterns. This action together with the resin creates shades in the paint and thins the consistency, producing a smooth and flat surface.
On 18 January 2020, there will be an artist talk with Bernard Frize, moderated by Peini Beatrice Hsieh from 12.15 - 1pm at the Ideas Forum, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1, 4th Floor. No booking required – simply proceed to the Ideas Forum 10 minutes before the talk begins.
