Vienna Contemporary 2019

Irène Laub Gallery is pleased to announce its participation to the 2019 edition of Viennacontemporary. We will welcome you from 26.09.19 to 29.09.19 with a duo presentation of Belgian artist Bernard Villers and Greek artist Panos Papadopoulos on booth B08.

Greek artist Panos Papadopoulos (Athens, 1975) and Belgian artist Bernard Villers (Brussels, 1939) are brought together in a dialogue between two geographic territories and two generations, underlining their parallel lines of approach in the study of spatial construction and their exploration of the potency of colour.

Bernard Villers’ painting plays on the artwork’s relationship with space as an internal, emotional dimension as well as a physical one. Of minimalist appearance – simple ideas, elementary forms, modest constructions, sober aspects – his work shows a very sensitive and cultured complexity. First cultured, because it is built on an omnipresent but unobtrusive dialogue with art history, language, literature and philosophy. Secondly sensitive, because the artist is always looking for inspiration in the beautiful banality of life, and in marginal or imperceptible of everyday experiences. Colour is at the centre of Bernard Villers’ creations, accompanied by its surroundings and induced effects, highlighted by the choice of medium and form. The materials are deliberately chosen for their properties, the gestures are clearly visible and few in number, the decisions are uncompromising. There is no evasion: what you see is what there is, the limitations are shown with a formidable openness.
Panos Papadopoulos creates minimal spaces – usually interiors – structured by a lone corner and leaving the viewer with an impression of absence and timelessness. Worlds are summoned with a few lines, similar to a haiku’s composition, powerful in their simplicity. And there aren’t just corners, but plants and lamps, balconies, swathes of colour and bodies in motion, all made with the same simplicity and grace as the humble corners often found behind them. His compositions often show a mastery of emptiness and silence, but sometimes fill up with the electric charge of dense and intense colours. Crowded or meditative, Panos Papadopoulos’ spaces summon a wide range of emotions and vibrations, while maintaining an outstanding simplicity.

Brought together by the minimalist dimension of their creative gestures, the two artists form a powerful statement about the sensory force of colour and the importance of a clear composition. Rooms, constructed areas and new dimensions emerge from mere folds and corners. Poetic and rigorous, their work seems to make both time stand still and space unfold.

Location
Marx Halle
Karl-Farkas-Gasse 19, 1030 Vienna

Opening hours
Thursday 26.09, opening: 4pm–8pm
Friday 27.09: 12pm–7pm
Saturday 28.09: 11am–7pm
Sunday 29.09: 11am–6pm

Read more about Bernard Villers and Panos Papadopoulos