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dunkel, dunkel, hell, hell

September 7, 2007- October 13, 2007

Reception: September 7, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Nils Karsten

Marvelli Gallery

526 W 26th St

Marvelli Gallery is proud to present dunkel, dunkel, hell, hell, the third solo exhibition at the gallery of German artist Nils Karsten. The show will feature a series of large-scale works on paper as well as smaller framed drawings and collages. The exhibition continues the artist's evolution from smaller, more intimate drawings into larger, more complex, ambitious and layered works.

Graphite continues to be the main material of Karsten's visual exploration. After rubbing graphite powder into the surface to create a unique spatial effect, he incorporates an array of additional mediums - acrylic paint, watercolor, and collage. Images for each collage are taken from Chinese propaganda, Japanese manga, American X-rated adult comics, and German bedtime stories. In many cases, the collage replaces brushstrokes with a technique that challenges the notion of painterly spontaneity. Karsten's new work draws unexpected links between Henry Darger's feverish and obsessive watercolors and the cool, rational, but no less visually intense representations of European artists such as Klimt and Picabia.

Karsten’s subjective view of the world escapes onto the external stage charging it with emotions of fear and an underlying sense of exile, while maintaining a sense of hope. In this fantastic, manufactured world in which anything is possible, the imagery used is an attempt to create a sense of order and control that doesn't seem to really exist.

Originally from Hamburg, Germany, Nils Karsten has lived and worked in the United States for the past 12 years. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he currently teaches in the Fine Arts Department, received his MFA from Vermont College, and attended the 2002 residency program of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

Books and DVDs related to artists in this show

Location map  Gallery Marvelli Gallery Address 526 W 26th St, 2nd Fl New York (Chelsea) NY, 10001 United States Phone 212-627-3363 Fax 212-627-3368 Hours Tue-Sat 10-6 Nearby: All 27 galleries at 526 W 26th St

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