Myron Stout

at Washburn Gallery (Art 43 Basel 2012)

Untitled, 1950

The opposite things attract each other. Negative - positive, red - green. They attract each other, because one has what another lacks. From the other side, they are different in their basic nature. Those opposing forces create an energy zone between and around them(yellow lines). The energy makes the Game interesting. The gamers are not only playing the Game, but also are exploring the black corners that are illuminated by the energy.

Lesley Vance

at Xavier Hufkens (Art 43 Basel 2012)

Untitled, 2012

At first it was like a game to you (green background). You met at a cafe. Your skills to pick up girls and wits were broken by her steel armour(the figure on the left). Fueled by the mystery and passion, you changed your tactics. You crawled, dug. You have got a couple of dates(circle-like figures in the upper center). It led to a pretty wild relationship(the figure at the upper right corner). But both of you were stuck, you were moving in circles, not progressing. So two of you decided to separate( yellow figure in the right center). You are left only with broken pieces from that relationship (the white figure in the lower right), but you still remember the connection with warmness.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

at Galerie Henze & Ketterer (Art 43 Basel 2012)

Blumen und Figuren (Flowers and Figures), 1930

A small table in small cozy restaurant. It's really small place, no more than a dozen of tables. It's warm, homey and inviting. There are freshly cut flowers on the table. There are two at the table: He and She. They are at the courting game.She invites, he advances. She steps forward, he moves sideways.This is a game of exploration and discovery, where they both win or they both loose.

Gerhard Richter

at Anthony Meier Fine Arts(TEFAF Maastricht 2012)

25 Farben, 1932

Something is going on. you can feel it. The Change is everywhere : people are changing colors, sides and rules of the game while playing.The problem is you can't grasp what it is. You are too close to the game. you are so close that you don't see the entire board. You understand that you need to move away, so you can get a good overlook. But you are so afraid to miss any piece of action, you are just frozen the epicenter.

Ton Frenken

Ton Frenken at Borzo Kunsthandel BV (TEFAF Maastricht 2012)

Dyptique, 2002

 Two persons. Two lonely souls. They are looking for someone to be in their lives. They look pretty hard. Each constructed a lighthouse to signal other where to find them( the vertical black-and-white line at the edge). The soul-mate searching experience is mostly a negative one for them. That's why the lighthouse became more black than white over time. Or maybe the search criteria they use is too stringent, too black-and-white, so the others keep away from them. There is another possibility that they are too tender, too gentle, too subtle and the lighthouse is their defending mechanism. Anyway, somehow they found each other. Finally they align one to the other. And now the game can be started! (black and white squares in the center).

Arthur Segal

Arthur Segal at  Galerie Berinson (Art Basel Miami Beach 2011)

Interieur mit Blickpunkt Stuhl III

This is a memory of an event, which four persons witnessed. It could be a card game. Everyone has a different version of what and when happened. Everyone remembers different things. The same object has different meaning and associations for different people. One remembers the game proper, because he has lost a big sum of money in it(left bottom corner). Another remembers the chair, because it was unconformable to sit in, or  because it was not his usual spot. His spot was to his right, where the new guy sat. This guy won the game, because there was a mirror where he saw the cards of the guy who sat opposite him (a rectangle in the upper right corner). The fourth guy was occupied with something else(the upper left corner). He had big problems, and needed money. This fourth guy is the murderer who killed the new guy to get his jackpot.

Esteban Lisa

Esteban Lisa at Galería Jorge Mara – La Ruche (Art Basel Miami Beach 2011)

Game with Lines and Colors

 This is relationship. Two players - he and she(2 circles in the middle) are playing the game.The game board and the rules are constantly changing. That's why the colors are bleak, the players are not sure of their moves, like everything is in the fog of uncertainty. Or it could be just before the dawn, when you are about to reveal some personal deep hidden secrets. The game is very addictive, especially when you cross certain Lines.

Weekend Edition 6

Mark Rothko

Untitled (Blue Yellow Green Red)

This is a game of flirtation. There are two participants : Blue and Green. Blue is a woman - mysterious, a combination of   blue hope, blue night and brown pragmatism. The Green is a man. He is really into a game, full of yellow. But he has an edge, the white edge. He knows the underpinnings of the game and this inside knowledge helps him to keep balance against his formidable opponent.

The Blue made the first move. You can barely see it. Because it is so subtle. It is under the yellow game table. The orange red frame is the erotic pretext of the game. The yellow game field is like a sun. It could be warm and inviting, but it could burn you too.