Erwin Bohatsch

• Taka Ishii Gallery Kyobashi, Tokyo (JP)
• 25.01.–22.02.2025

Taka Ishii Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of the works by Erwin Bohatsch, from Saturday, January 25 to Saturday, February 22. Bohatsch is recognized as a leading figure in Austrian art history, particularly in abstract painting. This marks his first presentation at the gallery and will feature nine paintings and thirteen works on paper from his recent œuvre.

"Bohatsch’s work is characterised by a constant oscillation between figuration and abstraction, between colour and non-colour, and between line and surface. He circles around the still explosive question of the topicality of painting. In his current works, he now defines the pictorial field as a heterogeneous matrix on which, for example, sharply outlined forms meet open painting fields with roughly applied brushstrokes. Above all, his compact works on paper are experimental fields for new paths, which Bohatsch then implements on canvas." (Florian Steininger)

Although Bohatsch has been pursuing a distinctly individual and exemplary path through his career, his work is inseparable from the discourse of Austrian art of the late 70s to 90s. In the early 80s, when he emerged in the Austrian art scene, his paintings carried all features of “New Painting”, depicting motifs in organic forms and bleak colors. At the time, he became a member of the “Neue Malerei” (New Painting) group and was considered as one of the artists of Neue Wilde (neo-expressionism). By the late 1980s, the artist departed from this current and entered on abstract reduction, eliminating the narrative, figurative and expressive qualities of the paintings. This shift signaled a commitment to openness and clarity, hallmarks of his mature style.

The artist’s recent works exemplify his purist approach, emphasizing line, form, color, and materiality. Curved color planes, fine lines, and spontaneous marks combine to produce compositions rich with tension and rhythm. On the fields of earthy beige and black, bright colors such as green, yellow and blue are also used effectively within a limited area. The poured color, spread thinly with a spatula, forms a layer of translucent colored surfaces, creating new forms in the overlapping areas and sense of spatial depth on the painting.

Bohatsch’s works, in which multiple spatial structures unfold, will offer viewers an open and engaging visual experience.

Taka Ishii Gallery Kyobashi