Schlass

Pablo Tomek presents a solo exhibition Schlass at Ruttkowski;68 in Düsseldorf. With new works from different series, the artist builds on his interest in the aesthetics of modern urban life. This exhibition depicts anecdotes he has collected roaming the streets of Paris and then transformed into art.

Captivated by construction sites that he considers as “painting propositions”, Tomek has worked out a series of vibrant paintings, composed of monochromatic colour planes – in playful reference to Piet Mondrian, then modified in his own unique way by implementing different materials, tools and special techniques: as a first step the colour planes are painted to a gloss finish, and then a palette knife is used to draw in geometrical lines. These ‘knife paintings’ evoke unfinished drywall or plaster board walls that can be found on building sites – a reconstruction of familiar aspects of Tomek’s signature aesthetic vocabulary.

Windows continue to be openings into his artistic stimulus. In the second part of the exhibition, the artist takes a ridge walk between the abstract and figurative using newly developed painterly techniques. He captures images he finds in his urban habitat and repaints them on canvas: lace curtains, abandoned shops, faces – diverse and transient impressions are collected and then transformed. Tomek’s new works pave the way into a ever-fresh and evolving identity, crossing the margins between painting and urban renovation.