Bartha Contemporary is delighted to announce German artist Henrik Eiben’s (b. 1975, Tokyo) first UK solo exhibition entitled ‘Now’s the Time’. The exhibition will feature new sculptures as well as abstract paintings and works on paper.

For his first solo-exhibition at Bartha Contemporary, Henrik Eiben developed a suite of new works, which reflect on the architecture of the gallery space and reference several key works, which were recently shown at the Hamburger Kunsthalle and Kunstraum Alexander Bürkle in Freiburg. An elegant elongated suspended metal sculpture dominates the front space. It’s airy linear composition navigates the room and implies both direction and volume. Unlike Alexander Calder’s dynamic Mobiles this static work, a metal line drawn in space, conveys a notion of movement. It is this self-contradicting quality that signifies many of Eiben’s works.

Influenced by an American minimalist aesthetic the artist’s installations, works on paper as well as sculptures evolve intuitively from a reduced geometric vocabulary. Often further matched by the use of unorthodox materials, mixing fabrics ranging from cheap fake leather to cashmere felts or knitted wool with everyday construction materials as well as applying a variety of painting techniques. The works pristine appearance is not undermined by this surprising mix of materials but rather plays with pre-conceived attributes of craftsmanship and inherent materialistic values.

Many of Eiben’s pieces at first appear as clearly defined abstract art-works, however on closer inspection their often skilfully hidden sub-context reveals a broader and more nuanced approach to abstraction. The clever interaction between distinctly different mediums as well as highly contrasting colour schemes allow Eiben an artistic freedom, which result in exceptionally engaging works of art.

Henrik Eiben lives and works in Hamburg, Germany but was born in Tokyo in 1975. He studied in USA, The Netherlands and Germany and has exhibited across Europe and the US.

Bartha Contemporary
25 Margaret Street
London W1W 8RX United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 79850015
info@barthacontemporary.com
www.barthacontemporary.com

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