Sebastian Dannenberg

4 August 2022

In spring this year, we showed the exhibition Painting and Minimal Art with minmalistic works by Daniel Buren and paintings by Raimund Girke at the Cadoro – Centre for Art and Science in Mainz. Those familiar with the oeuvre of the Bremen artist Sebastian Dannenberg, whose new show Resonance we are opening at our summer festival on 20 August 2022, had to ask themselves: why didn't we also show works by Dannenberg in this exhibition?

Because apart from the reference to architecture and thus to spatiality, which is inherent in the artist's works and which usually catches the viewer's eye first, Sebastian Dannenberg combines the traditions of Painting and Minimal Art in his œuvre like hardly anyone else. His works strive for objectivity and schematic clarity and are reduced to simple geometric basic forms – so-called primary structures. He uses steel frames – similar to Donald Judd – and other industrially manufactured elements in his art, which is always sculptural but also contains painterly elements. The now 42-year-old does not want to see this aspect neglected in the understanding of his works.

During his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe with Prof. Leni Hoffmann, he focused on painting. For him, paint is a democratic material; you can buy it in any hardware store. If you think he is a sculptor after looking into his studio full of corrugated iron and steel frames, the artist retorts:

I still see myself as a painter, I have noticed that sculptors treat the material differently. I refer to surfaces and light, which describes a painterly approach. Furthermore, I adapt the paintings to the space in which they are shown. I practically stretch the painting in the direction of the space.

If you would like to experience Sebastian Dannenberg's painterly spatial interventions live, we cordially invite you to our Summer Festival on 20 August 2022 at the CADORO in Mainz. Besides Sebastian Dannenberg's new exhibition Resonance, there is much more to experience, so sign up and visit us!