Page 110 - VOL 8
P. 110

Rubica von Streng









             Rubica von Streng graduated from Berlin’s University of Arts UdK as a masterclass student in 2018. Her works,
             such  as  the  paintings  of  the  monumental  “PortLand”  cycle,  have  found  a  place  in  highly  recognized  art
             collections in Germany and aborad. They often deal with the beauty of nature, biodiversity and the future of
             civilization.
             Abstract portrait and landscape painting enter an exciting liaison in her oeuvre. Her multilayered, oil paintings
             on  canvas  and  paper  appear  watercolor-like  and  radiate  an  unexpected  lightness,  however  heavy  and
             complex  the  subjects.  The  artist  achieves  this  balancing  act  by  means  of  her  self-developed  so-called
             arpeggio  painting  technique:  wafer-thin  layers  of  highly  diluted  oil  paint  are  applied  one  after  the  other,
             creating a powerful ensemble of overlapping color spaces and forms that interact with fragments of varying
             shapes.
             “Rubica von Streng’s works provide viewers with a continuous and moving visual experience,” says Kerstin Bitar,
             chief art historian at Museum Rosengart Collection, Lucerne. “In an interplay with initially recognized motifs,
             they will constantly discover new figures, plants and landscapes. It is a continual process. This unfolding of very
             different visual elements in her pictures is extremely fascinating. Her PortLand works open up many different
             perspectives – into the depths, into the distance, into the future.”




                                                                                                 States of Transition
             What happens when what is transforms? In other words, gives space and time for a change of shape. Or cannot help but give space and time for it, since the
             circumstances require it. Deformations occur passively or actively. Or they develop from passive acquiescence to active creation if the process of deformation requires
             (or favors) it.
             The works of the series „States of Transition“ show snapshots of gestalt changes, as if frozen at a certain point of deformation. It is as if time and form would have
             petrified in order to give viewers the opportunity to study this transitional state in detail before the process advances.
             The dynamics apparent in the drawings indicate that the end of the deformation has not yet been reached. It remains open to what result it may lead. In this respect,
             the content of these drawings is similar to that of classic short stories: Their beginnings and endings are abrupt; the action takes place during a limited period of time
             in a single location; they usually describe a conflict that leads to a turning point.
             The quest for this turning point, for change, for a change of direction, reflects one of the longings of today‘s society: many consider the status quo as unsatisfactory;
             they want a more dignified present, a future worth experiencing. Both do not come about automatically, but require new forms that must first be thought and felt –
             yearned for, if you like.



              110                                                             SoT NC I - Ink on Japanese paper, 16.5x11cm, 2021
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