Bernard Frize

His work has been included in important survey shows such as Der zerbrochene Spiegel (The Broken Mirror) Das Abenteuer der Malerei (The Adventure of Painting) and he is one of the most important figures in the discussion that still surrounds painting.

Frize paints in series: each is based on a preconceived technique with strong conceptual features. In this way, he succeeds in deliberately defying categorisation – he works in a variety of styles and makes use of various technical devices, tending to undermine conventional notions of authorship and artistic practice. Characteristically, his work conflates seductive visual effects with a disquieting interrogation of the medium.

An element of alchemy can be detected in his most recent work – the structure and colour of the work are created directly on the canvas by the application of coloured glazes. However, they only come to light at the end of a lengthy process in which the fluid impasto sets into a visible film of paint.

Frize carries the random principle to such lengths that the act of painting itself can be described as invisible. His technique of painting is a premeditated process, like the development of a photograph. It aims at transcending both technology and chemical facts, exploiting the residue of mystery that dwells in the use of chance.