Opera Gallery is thrilled to present the first solo exhibition of German artist Anselm Reyle in Geneva. This collection highlights over twenty works spanning from 2007 to 2024 that chronicle the evolution of Reyle's artistic odyssey. Included are a variety of new pieces created specifically for this showcase, encompassing ceramics, neon installations, and works on canvas.
Reyle is celebrated for his groundbreaking use of materials and transformative artistic techniques, yet his roots are deeply embedded in early 20th-century art movements. Inspired by Art Informel, Op-Art, Minimalism, and Pop Art, he seamlessly integrates contemporary abstraction with vibrant fluorescent hues, neon lights, and repurposed objects. Through unconventional mediums like foil, glitter, mirrors, and special-effect pastes, Reyle consistently challenges traditional painting norms, drawing viewers into a mesmerizing world of color and light. His ongoing exploration not only sets new artistic benchmarks but also questions conventional standards of taste and beauty. Straddling the line between genuine kitsch and authentic aesthetic appeal, his work captivates audiences, inviting contemplation and fascination.
To me, painting became interesting, when I began integrating found objects and materials from the exterior world, either within the exhibition space or directly into my works. It was through this process that I discovered that my inspiration comes from directing my gaze outward, rather than inward.
My artistic practice revolves around two primary themes: the exploration of modern art history and the incorporation of materials symbolic of specific time periods.
From these tubes, I crafted installations that invite viewers to enter a three-dimensional representation formed by light.
One of Reyle's best-known ongoing series is his foil paintings, abstract works created by meticulously arranging and installing foil in colored perspex boxes. They contain a tantalizing contradiction, their crumpled, glossy materiality evoking the sense of touch while the perspex boxes deny a tactile experience.
The silver foil is not only highly decorative, it also symbolises surface and effect - two further taboos, when you are studying abstract painting. Consequently, this foil became one of my primary materials thereafter.
The stripe paintings are another well-known series of the artist, which showcase Reyle’s use of disruption. Here, elements such as a fold in a sheet of foil or a blot of paint serve as a standardised signature or a stripe cut at the edge of the pictorial plane. This composition is one that he revisits often, rendering it in new materials and colours each time. Over the years Reyle increasingly made use of mirrors, special-effects pastes, and lights, as well as incorporating artist’s frames into his work.
© Verena Bruening
Anselm Reyle has held numerous solo exhibitions, including shows at the Modern Institute, Glasgow, Galerie Almine Rech, Paris and Kunsthalle, Zurich. His works have also been featured in group exhibitions at Tate Modern, London and Palazzo Grassi, Venice. His work is held in numerous private and public collections worldwide, including Centre Pompidou, Paris, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, Pinault Collection, Venice, Saatchi Gallery, London and Samsung Museum of Modern Art, Seoul.