Hendrik Zimmer | Malerei durch Skulptur

Since the end of 2021, Hendrik Zimmer has focused on the technique of woodcut, an old artistic process that he has been reinterpreting. Accentuated outlines, stylization of the surface, a tendency towards closed areas of colour and strict geometrization are characteristics of this technique, which Zimmer deliberately integrates into his clear, powerful images. In doing so, he experiments with different color densities, color intensities and structures and continues the characteristic play of his earlier works, which oscillates between two- and three-dimensionality, between pictorial surface and pictorial depth. He is particularly interested in materiality and the artistic creation process, which he describes as a process in which the works are created 'like a painting by sculpture'.
Zimmer develops his visual language by combining forms and objects from different contexts. From this, he develops his own pictorial realms that do not 'depict' anything, but are something entirely of his own. They arise from Zimmer's 'fascination with the world and its people, its beauty and its abysses', hinting at the familiar, but allowing the viewer to fill the resulting spaces with their own observations, experiences and memories. Zimmer's works are about 'the truthfulness of the seeker, about process and change'. This is evident not only in the open legibility of his pictures, but also in the visibility of his working process. The artistic process of creation, the transformation of the image, but also its perception are Zimmer's artistic driving forces.

His new works once again emphasize Zimmer's love for posters, book illustrations and all kinds of printed matter. While he previously used these as material or templates, he now turns to the technique of woodblock printing, the oldest method of reproducing images. Like the artists of the European avant-garde of the 20th century, Zimmer drew on the technique of the great Japanese woodcut workshops, which had been producing multi-colored prints since the 10th century. This allows him to play with a variety of colors, sometimes bright, sometimes saturated. The use of rather rough canvases, as well as experimenting with paper as an additional layer, also opens up further wide-ranging possibilities for Zimmer's use of color. The result are unique pieces, reminiscent of artworks from the 1920s and 60s, which simultaneously feature Zimmer's distinctive signature.