Wentrup Gallery presents "Kult und Amore," the seventh solo exhibition by Berlin-based artist Axel Geis. In his latest paintings, the human figure takes center stage. Geis does not use a systematic approach to selecting motifs, instead appearing to choose them randomly, without consideration of their artistic or film-historical value. The figures in his works do not make direct eye contact with the viewer and do not seem to seek interaction. Rather, they remain closed off and look through the viewer with dark eyes into emptiness. Their faces are often shaded and appear contourless due to the lack of clear outlines, offering no possibility for identification. No active actions are recognizable, as the figures are in the center of a free, monochrome surface charged with vitality solely by the traces of brush movement. This reinforces the role of the individual in contemporary painting.
