MINIMAL IMPACT: Augustus Goertz – Alan Steele – Christopher Stout

Lichtundfire is pleased to present Minimal Impact, a carefully constructed and focused exhibition of mixed media paintings, drawings and works on paper, through the lens of three artists, Augustus Goertz, Alan Steele, and Christopher Stout, all of whom have shown their work in the past at Lichtundfire.

Taking the common meaning of the term to another level of connotation–the Minimal Impact here lies in the sparsity of the application, delicate expression or subtle reference, however resulting in a powerful conceptual language.

In many ways, closely linked, however differing in their practice and in the execution of their mediums, the individual artist’s work strongly stands alone yet ‘inter pares’- within equals- creating a visual dialogue between textures, lines and hues.

Augustus Goertz, a process painter, conceives sensible poetic abstractions. Referring to them as ‘controlled improvisations’ his surfaces – out of an amalgamate of ingredients- span from the sparse to the compact, with paint from the bolt colorful to the monochromatic sublime.

“Each series has an overriding conception. Within the confines of this trajectory, there’s a lot of room for improvisation and experimentation during the creative act. Trying to push the limits of what paint or other chemicals can do. Painting is, among other things, philosophy made manifest. One can say, the artist works in the area just ahead of the scientist, like a scout.”

Alan Steele’s carefully crafted drawings/works on paper evoke the concept of the Japanese Wabi-Sabi where concept and composition align to conceive the highest form of perfect imperfection/ imperfect perfection.

“The earliest initial idea was to create a map that would set before me an ordered totality so that ideas and concepts, which are finite and particular, may have a setting in an infinity. In this way local control, preplanning and decisions, can be manifested and articulated.

The map was to serve as a yardstick, that by its repeated use in measuring would generated a continuum of ideas. Thus the work would be free to move in a unlimited extension toward the infinite.”

Christopher Stout’s elegant, monochromatic multi-panel paintings, radiate and soundly resonate and yet seem to hover in an enigmatic space we cannot enter. As an abstract reductive artist his work concerns “a dance between the questions of “what is the construct of painting?” and “what is the construct of sculpture?””. His quest, as Stout phrases it, “is the additive outcome in merging the vocabularies of both disciplines.”

Augustus Goertz is a New York artist, who was born and raised in New York City. He holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, CA. This is his 11th appearance at Lichtundfire, where he previously also co-curated the exhibition SPORTSVERGNUEGEN with artist, curator, writer D. Dominick Lombardi.
Alan Steele was born in Caracas, Venezuela and holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts (SVA), NYC, NY and an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, RI. He previously took part in one exhibition at Lichtundfire.

Christopher Stout is new York based artist, born and raised in Maryland. Previously, Stout had 2 solo exhibition at Lichtundfire an this is his 8th appearance at the gallery.

Minimal Impact is on view at Lichtundfire Wed through Sat, noon – 6 pm, & Sun 1 – 6 pm.
For more information and images of Minimal Impact, please contact Priska Juschka at [email protected], via 917-675-7835, or visit www.lichtundfire.com

Lichtundfire: 175 Rivington Street NY NY 10002
Contact: Priska Juschka, [email protected], Tel: 917-675-7835
General Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 12 pm to 6 pm, Sunday 1pm to 6pm www.lichtundfire.com