Introduction

Moving Space

German artist Martin Kasper travels through time. Whether his paintings portray the future or the past, however, we cannot be sure. The imaginary foyers, restaurants, and living spaces may seem typical of post-war Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, yet they also reveal unexpected futuristic elements. Created by Kasper in rich orange and red tones, these spaces leave the viewer with an ambiguous understanding of time; it’s this elusive aesthetic that characterises his fascinating works.

Wide windows give us an almost panoramic perspective, whilst spiral staircases with glass steps lead us up into the unknown. The atmospheric compositions are packed with details from countless different interiors, with the experiences from journeys through Russia, the Ukraine, and Germany. Before beginning his large format paintings, Kasper begins by taking photographs of rooms and then proceeds to draft sketches. Layer by layer, the real life shots are transformed into painted works in a continual process of addition and redesign.

Kasper’s architectonic works betray no hint of human life. We search in vain for straggling visitors left behind in the theatres and restaurants; empty chairs and tables give the rooms a slightly theatrical quality and ensure the paintings from the “Moving Space” series occupy a middle ground between dreams and reality.

Martin Kasper studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe, where he was also awarded grants. His works have already appeared in countless exhibitions, in particular in Germany and France, and can be found in the Frieder Burda Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany. In 2011, Kasper was appointed Lecturer at the Haute école des Arts du Rhin in Strasbourg, France.

Hannah Hör

Bio

1962	Born in Schramberg, Germany
1982 - 87	Studied Art at the State Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe, Germany
2002	IAAB residency in Montreal, Canada
	Christoph Merian Stiftung
2005	Cité Internationale des Arts residency in Paris, France
2011 - present	Guest lecturer at the College of the Arts on the Rhine, Strasbourg, France
	Lives and works in Freiburg, Germany

Collections

Sammlung Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden, Germany

MAMCS (Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg), France

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

2012	Manfred Hamm & Martin Kasper, Kunstverein, Offenburg, Germany
2011	Martin Kasper – Zeiträume, Galerie Michael Schultz, Berlin, Germany
	Martin Kasper, Galerie Eric Mircher Paris, France
	Martin Kasper – Malerei, Galerie Foth, Freiburg, Germany
2010	Alltag und Ambiente, Kunstverein Pforzheim, Germany
2009	Martin Kasper, Kunstverein Friedberg, Germany
2008	7 x 7, Städtische Galerie Offenburg, Germany
2007	Raumerinnern, Städtische Galerie Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
2002	Nach der Wirklichkeit III – Painting on the Move, Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland
2000	Martin Kasper – Treibstoff, Kunsthalle Bremerhaven, Germany