On the presence of eternity

Linear time is defined as a straight and irreversible line extending from the past through the present into the future („The straight line is godless“ Friedensreich Hundertwasser). In cyclical time, however, becoming, passing away, and new beginnings are understood as a cycle („In art, there is no development; some of the first works of art are also some of the best“ David Hockney). In four-dimensional spacetime, past, present, and future coexist simultaneously („The distinction of past, present, and future is a persistent illusion“ Albert Einstein). In this way, everything – and we too – is interconnected. Intuition and reflection; drawing as an artistic practice for the development and visualization of a metaphysical model of the universe.

Intuition

It began in 2001 with a rediscovered large, old tinbox from my mother’s office, where, as a child, I had spent a lot of time keeping myself occupied, drawing, playing. The box was filled with discarded colored pencils, pencil stubs, ballpoint pens bearing old-fashioned promotional imprints, a few fountain pens, and dried-out felt-tip markers.

I had some time on my hands, so I took a large sheet of paper to test the pens for functionality and quality. Guided by an inner rhythm, various spirals emerged, gradually condensing during the process into solid discs, their immediate visual sensuality heightened by the resonant sound of the pens moving across the paper. With some of the ballpoints, I had to trace many circles before the ink started flowing again – or simply didn’t.

Over time, an open-ended cycle of drawings evolved. The works are reminiscent of celestial bodies. On the other hand, they are variations – like the fingerprints of individuals – that are similar yet unique. Microcosm and macrocosm. I appreciate the connection between the origins of simple doodling – such as children experience in their early attempts at drawing (the „Primal Tangle“) – and the greater whole: our universe („That Which Is Turned Inward“).

Reflection

Raumzeit(k)reise seeks to trace the nature of eternity – in its timelessness and apparent aimlessness. The work grows with every new sheet, yet it will never be truly finished – even though it has always carried its underlying principle within itself. I am fascinated by the old dream of Modernism – exemplified, for instance, by Suprematism (Kazimir Malevich’s „White Square on a White Ground“) – to penetrate to the very essence of things through the utmost abstraction and reduction. Yet to do so without running aground at a „zero point“, but rather by surfing upon that very wave.

Development (emergence and multiplicity of variations) without development (the circle, the absolute form). I counter excessive routine with low output and by switching between my left and right hand during the creative process. In this way, a greater sense of tension is preserved in my work. What questions can art ask? What answers can it offer? What constitute the central contents of being – of existence? Meaning, origin, and the principle of the world – of the cosmos – these are philosophical questions that are primarily formulated verbally, and conceived – thougt through – in words.

In art, intuition – feeling, the non-verbal realm – plays a pivotal role. Here, an idea is not developed and postulated based on theory; rather, it is felt, imbued with life, and lived. When I did not seek out this project but instead stumbled upon it – or perhaps it found me – I possessed initially nothing more than a vague inkling, an aesthetic point of entry. In the beginning, constellations of various circles emerged upon the blank paper; these stood in relation to one another – governed by the same principle, similar yet entirely distinct. Through the empty space between them – the surrounding void – the possibilty for expansion opened up, and with it, a perspective extending into infinity.