Architecture and Abstraction – Groupshow
Andrea Grützner, Friederike Von Rauch, Tanja Rochelmeyer, Maximilian Schubert
The main focus of the exhibition “Architecture and Abstraction” is on geometric-constructive works, whose primary source of inspiration is architecture. Common to all artistic positions on display is creating certain forms that simultaneously dispense with any documentary or representational characteristics.
If one were to look for similarities between Constructivism, Suprematism, Concrete Art, Hard-edge painting and Minimal Art, one would find them in abstraction. The shared aim is to break free from any reference to the object, combined with a shift towards a pictorial reality, constituted through colours and shapes, light and shade. However, the “new abstraction” of the 21st century gets by without a programmatic reference to the discourse of historical modernism. For instance, it doesn’t pursue a purely rationalistic or objective creation of form, like Concrete Art. While it certainly draws from these sources, it finds its own agile, independent character through a more subjective, individual stance.
If one were to look for similarities between Constructivism, Suprematism, Concrete Art, Hard-edge painting, and Minimal Art, one would find them in abstraction. The shared aim is to break free from any reference to the object, combined with a shift toward a pictorial reality constituted through colour and shape, light and shade. The “new abstraction” of the 21st century, however, no longer relies on programmatic references to historical modernism. Rather than pursuing purely rational or objective form-making, it draws from historical sources while developing an independent, subjective character.The exhibition Architecture and Abstraction focuses on geometric-constructive works whose primary source of inspiration is architecture. Common to all artistic positions is the creation of distinctive forms that dispense with documentary or representational qualities.
In her latest series, photographer Andrea Grützner concentrates on architecture from the 1950s. During a fellowship with the Koblenzer Stadtfotografen in the summer of 2015, she explored Koblenz’s public urban space, focusing on façades and their grids. She translates these structures into vivid, graphically composed image details that appear painterly, abstract, and surreal. Although Grützner works with photography, her pieces oscillate between photography, sculpture, and collage, addressing perception, memory, and visual disorientation.
Friederike von Rauch’s contemplative images of deserted light-filled spaces in museums, monasteries, and Venetian palazzi reveal unique worlds rich in narrative potential. Typically photographed outside opening hours, her works interpret space in a highly personal manner. By focusing on details, she neutralizes representational elements in favour of abstraction. Working with a medium-format camera, von Rauch relies exclusively on available light, with colour—or its absence—playing a central role.
In her paintings, Tanja Rochelmeyer creates “visions of space”: delicate, floating hybrids that reference the polydimensional structures of the internet. Colour functions simultaneously as form and content, shaping geometric, labyrinthine configurations with striking clarity. While spatial experience is central to her work, traditional orientations—such as top and bottom or background and foreground—remain suspended.
The New York–based artist Maximilian Schubert, a guest at 68projects, explores the boundaries between painting and sculpture in his monochrome works. His Untitled series initially resembles white monochrome canvases with folded, curtain-like surfaces. In reality, these folds are cast. Fine cracks and imperfections subtly reveal that the wall behind the work is part of the composition, undermining the illusion and invoking trompe l’oeil traditions.
Andrea Grützner (*1984) lives in Berlin and is a member of the photography collective Exposure Twelve. She has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions and has received several awards, including Gute Aussichten – Junge Deutsche Fotografie (2014/15), the Foam Talent Award, and the Pfalzpreis Young Talent Award (both 2016).
Friederike von Rauch (*1967) trained as a silversmith and studied industrial design. Her works have been exhibited internationally and are held in numerous public and private collections.
Tanja Rochelmeyer (*1975) studied at the HTW University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. Her work has been shown internationally and is included in several public and private collections.
Maximilian Schubert (*1983) studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been exhibited internationally, most recently at the Lisson Gallery in London, and is held in collections in Europe and the United States.