Galerie Roger Katwijk will be featuring the second solo exhibition of German artist Dirk Salz from February 23rd to March 30th. The works of Dirk Salz are remarkable for their transparency and reflective nature, the result of a singular blend of resins and pigments which he applies to cork multiplex. Salz reveals himself as a master of optical illusion through these perfectly executed pieces, which he refers to paintings; in them, the foreground and background blend seamlessly together. Salz slowly builds these entirely abstract works with infinite care, layer by layer, using a diaphanous, pigmented epoxy resin and creating an immeasurable depth in the process. While the smooth resin reflects the environment in which they are placed, the eye of the viewer goes well beyond that reflection and is pulled deeply into the refined works. This fathomless depth is strongest in Salz’s darker pieces, which compellingly suggest elements partially hidden under the gleaming, reflective surface. An example is ‘Deep Dives,’ which makes alluring visual reference to dark, shadow-bound water basins.
In this exhibition, Salz introduces two new interconnected developments in his art: Light Poems and Fragmented Layers.
Light Poems
Ostensibly distinct layers of colour continually merge and detach themselves in the Light Poems series. Salz sought to entirely separate the transparent painting from the surface to which it was applied, and to allow light to more entirely impose itself, thereby creating novel impressions for the viewer. As a result, Salz applied pigmented resin to glass for this series, either by placing the pieces directly on the ground or by using painted aluminum braces. These painstaking approaches result in either shadowed or light-infused, transparent backgrounds in individual pieces.
Fragmented Layers
The intent driving Fragmented Layers was to most effectively transfer the concept of ‘Deep Dives’ and the Light Poems series to a novel material, while using a different approach to. Salz settled upon framed, printed plastic sheets, which are mounted on painted masonite backgrounds, or installed in entirely transparent acrylic boxes.
Dirk Salz (Bochum, 1962) lives and works in Cologne. Salz trained at the Technical University in Aken. From 1979 to 1981, he received private lessons in drawing and painting, and his career as an artist officially began in 2002. By 2008, he was showing his work at a range of art events, including Art Miami, Art Dusseldorf, Art Cologne, Kunst Zurich, Solo Project Basel, ARTEFIERA Bologna, and London Art Fair. From 2010 onward, he was featured in solo exhibitions in his native Germany and abroad, including Unbedingt; Galerie Kunstraum21, Köln (2010); Compactlight, Forum Kunst und Architektur, Essen (2011); Objects in Resin and Glass, Galerie Schürmann, Kamp-Lintfort (2012), ‘Coherence/Interference’, Kunstraum 21, Bonn (2014); ‘TRIPPLE A’, (Dirk Salz, Bodo Korsig, Jürgen Paas), Galerie Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam (2014); Zwischen den Zeilen, Galerie Peithner-Lichtenfels, Wien (2015); Perception, Diana Lowenstein Gallery, Miami, FL (2015); and RESIN neue arbeiten, Galerie Feurstein, Feldkirch (A) (2016). His work can be found in a number of private collections, as well as prominent corporate collections, such as the Akzo Nobel Art Foundation.