Gallery Geranmayeh is pleased to present“Breaking the Circle,”opening October 24,the first solo exhibition in NewYork City by Dutch artist Jan MaartenVoskuil.

Voskuil is known for his unique hybrid creations, which begin with the simple geometrics of the circle and square, rooted in Minimal Art, reductionism and monochrome painting.Yet, through his manipulation of wood and canvas he arrives at complex, multidimensional creations. Working with canvas stretched over distorted wooden frames, Voskuil exposes the malleability of his materials. Wood can seem pliable, bending and curving in unexpected ways, and the canvas becomes three-dimensional. A new form emerges, bridging the distance between painting, sculpture, architecture, and installation.

In its surprising use of shapes and dimensions,Jan MaartenVoskuil’s work gives new visual meaning to the space it occupies. The pieces transform walls and corners to influence the viewer’s perception, the play of light and shadow on surfaces making the viewing experience unique with each vantage point.The interaction of the art with its environment creates a sense of movement and vitality.

This new exhibition presents Voskuil’s expert craftsmanship and originality.The titles “Circle getting rectangular” (2014) and “Getting rectangular again”playfully comment onVoskuil’s bridging of distinct shapes,and the crafted illusion of moving parts. The configuration of “Dynamic monochrome cornered” (2014) extending across two planes distorts the visual perception of the corner in which it is placed, and again suggests movement. “Broken Anthracite” (2014) and “Broken Yellow II” (2014) use stark colors and modular shapes to suggest shattered pieces; while the solid, singular colors give each piece a sense of wholeness.

The introduction of asymmetry, combined with the modular principles in his work, results in a seemingly endless area of “free form,” leading towards an even more elaborate oeuvre. As the artist states himself:

“Elaboration is a key note in my practice.As I intend to start from the zero point where Modernist reductiveness has left the area of painting, I try to revitalize painting within the achievements of formal, minimal, and reductive art but without ending up in the conceptual realm where the Modernist movement did. For me, a concept without its execution is usually an empty idea. It’s similar to science in which the hypothesis is an inducement to start research. It is not only the eventual proof, but merely all the “by-prod- ucts” of the research itself that adds to knowledge. In a similar way I see my work as by-products of an artistic research concerning the stretching of the painting area. I am not really interested in proving some initial point, like, ‘painting doesn’t need to be flat.’ I am interested in just taking the route for the unexpected beauty that is to be found in the by-products. In the stretching of the linen, to my own surprise, I found myself a niche where it appears there is still plenty to explore.” 

“In these “spatial paintings,” such as Improved Pointless Black and Improved Pointless Light Blue, both from 2014, circles are painted in a single, elementary acrylic color on linen, with wooden frames bent to curve around themselves. Simple geometry takes on an almost kinetic energy in these abstracted volumes, which appear almost to be shifting or peeling from the wall. The square is given a similar treatment in works like Squeezed Square in Thirds #12, in which the form is contorted as though seen through a funhouse mirror. Still, the focus remains on the surface in these paintings in the round. Despite the artist’s sense of humor, the work is not taken lightly. Rigorous mathematical principles govern his experiments, as does an ongoing conversation with the conventions of Minimalism, Hard-Edge painting, and other modernist schools of thought—concerns the artist and curator is drawing into the 21st century.” (Artsy editorial)