Michael Burges: Behind the Glass

Michael Burges

BEHIND THE GLASS October 20th, 2016 - January 28th, 2017

Published by JanKossen Ltd www.jankossen.com 3rd edition © July 2016 All rights served Printed in USA

New York, NY... JanKossen Contemporary is pleased to present Beh in d Th e Glass, Michael Burges?premier Solo Show in New York,.

This exhibit showcases Burges?most recent works from his Reverse Glass Paintings series, which he has been working on since 2009. Employing a unique technique of reverse glass painting with gold and platinum leaf, Burges creates large works with an extraordinary color presence, aesthetic precision and visual impact.

In his most recent series Reverse Glass Paintings, Burges uses plexiglass instead of canvas to create a ?window? to an alternative reality, and bends the rules of traditional painting techniques. Using a multi-layering process, Burges freely plays with combinations of colors, experimenting with various methods of applying paint with rags and sponges; for his backgrounds the artists uses precious metals including platinum, copper and gold leaf. What the viewer sees is an abstract painting, free of pre-conceptions - the viewer is invited to freely interpret the art - Burges hence invites us to an open, non-verbal dialogue.

Burges has been exploring the possibilities of color, space, their relationship as well as the effect it produces on the viewer and vice versa since 1983. His approach to painting is often described as a ?science of art?, comparable to the visual expression of scientific laws and hypothesis. There is however a spiritual quality to his work, embodying elements of Buddhism principles, suggesting the influence of the artist?s background in Comparative Religions, Ethnology and Indiology.

Michael Burges was born in Duesseldorf, Germany in 1954. He currently lives and works in Dusseldorf and Italy. He attended Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, where he studies social sciences. Shortly thereafter he studied Comparative Religions, Ethnology and Indology at Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Germany. Burges began painting in 1981 and is influenced by American Painter Douglas Swan. In 1983 he became engrossed in the style of abstract painting that has persisted as his method of expression through to the present. JanKossen Contemporary has chosen to showcase his work as it reflects strongly upon the aesthetic and conceptual intentions of the gallery.

He has had installations spanning internationally, including exhibitions in Paris, Belgium, Munich, Los Angeles, and Miami.

ReverseGlassPainting No.66 - 2016 Acrylic, 23,75 ct. gold leaf, plexiglas, aluminium 30 x 30 cm / 11,8 x 11,8 inch

ReverseGlassPainting No.25 - 2016 Acrylic, plexiglas, aluminium 30 x 30 cm / 11,8 x 11,8 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.26- 2011 Acrylic, plexiglas, aluminium 30 x 30 cm / 11,8 x 11,8 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.36 - 2016 Acrylic, plexiglas, aluminium 30 x 30 cm / 11,8 x 11,8 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.27- 2011 Acrylic, plexiglas, aluminium 30 x 30 cm / 11,8 x 11,8 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.19 - 2016 Acrylic, 23,75 ct. gold leaf, plexiglas, aluminium 30 x 30 cm / 11,8 x 11,8 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.23 - 2014 Acrylic, plexiglas, aluminum 100 x 70 cm / 39,4 x 27,6 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.14 - 2013 Acrylic, 23,75 ct. gold leaf, plexiglas, aluminum 100 x 70 cm / 39,4 x 27,6 inches

Self-Emergent Painting ReverseGlassNo.59 - 2016 Acrylic, platinum, plexiglas, aluminum 130 x 100 cm / 51 x 39 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.41 - 2014 Acrylic, Plexiglas, aluminium 130 x 100 cm/ 51"x 39"inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.39 - 2010 Acrylic, Plexiglas, aluminium 130 x 100 cm / 51 x 39 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.39 - 2014 Acrylic, Plexiglas, aluminium 150 x 120 cm/ 59 x 47 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.54 - 2016 Acrylic, Plexiglas, aluminium 150 x 120 cm / 59 x 47 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.51 - 2016 Acrylic, 23,75 ct. gold leaf, plexiglas, aluminium 180 x 150 cm / 71 x 59 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.49 - 2016 Acrylic, Plexiglas, aluminium 180 x 150 cm / 71 x 59 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.13 - 2015 Acrylic, Plexiglas, aluminium 180 x 150 cm / 71 x 59 inches

ReverseGlassPainting No.28 - 2016 Acrylic, Plexiglas, aluminium 130 x 100 cm / 51 x 39 inches

Reverse Glass Painting No.11+52 - 2016 Acrylic, 23,75 ct. gold leaf, plexiglas, aluminium

About Us JanKossen Contemporary focuses primarily on abstract, conceptual art created by both established and mid-career international talents.

Providing a platform for Pakistani, Indian and Middle Eastern-based artists who wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to exhibit outside their home borders adds an extra dimension to the gallery program.

Address Switzerland

Delsbergerallee 61 CH 4057 Basel, By appointment only USA

529 W 20th St, 6th floor New York, NY 10011, United States

Contact The gallery has locations in New York, NY and Basel, Switzerland.

Email: info@jankossen.com or: jankossen@gmail.com

IMPRESSUM CONCEPT, EDITING, AND REALIZATION Jasmin Kossenjans DESIGN Victoria Borisova PHOTOGRAPHY Provided by Artist TEXT Jasmin Kossenjans & Victoria Borisova No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by no means, electronic, mechanical, photo-copying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.

Published by JanKossen Ltd www.jankossen.com 3rd edition © July 2016 All rights served Printed in USA