WIEBKE KAPITZKY 30 Pieces Grey

In their colour-reduced simplicity, the small-format sheets of Wiebke Kapitzky's current series initially seem almost inconspicuous. Access to their rich content can only be gained through the concept and the willingness to engage in research and association with the multi-layered nature of these designs. Sketches from earlier years form the starting point. They are superimposed with used carbon paper as the artist rubs it with a ballpoint pen in a linear, dense gesture. In this way, the carbon dust is transferred to the original sheet. In a reciprocal process of dispensing and receiving, parts disappear, while others emerge. The process is lengthy, undirected and subject to the game of chance.

With the title for this exhibition, the artist refers on the one hand to the work of Cy Twombly (24 short pieces), and on the other hand the grey reminds her of the publication Seven Books Grey by Tacita Dean. With her oeuvre Kapitzky confronts herself by reading and by lengthy paperwork. The written sheets later serve as a basis for a new series of experiments. They are dipped in safflower oil, which reduces the readability of the notes and gives the typeface the opportunity to appear as a drawing. In her work on a major task, she comes close to Hanne Darboven, whose work she had already researched in her diploma thesis.
The artist describes her work as an arrangement without giving weight to the literal meaning of the term. The traces of both sheets are arranged without external control. The temptation to embark on an adventure for the eyes is great and is rewarded with an abundance of traces from which narratives emerge.