Madrid

Erik Schmidt | Mutanten

15.04.–17.06.2023

Erik Schmidt traces a path of vibrant colours in constant movement, which begs to be explored in a state of physical and identity mutation. Through the use of gesture and colour, Schmidt persists in amending a document which results from an obstinate reality that continues to move forward, unstoppable. The artist paints over an image of one palm tree and another and another until their full dissolution. He records and gives colour to a delirious, failed parkour, which suggests the idea of escaping towards otherness, towards the palm trees, as the only escape route. He paints over newspapers that are up to date but indiscernible in terms of their violent, daily, inescapable content. He pastes on and reframes a group of teenagers, an eternal, reclaimed youth. And, whilst incessantly searching for a parking space, repeating the same exercise in different ways, he reflects. Once the document has been intervened in and its reiteration annulled through the artist’s personal, living and visionary inner gesture Schmidt’s memento mori materialise.

Installation Views

  • Erik Schmidt, Mutanten, exhibition view at carlier | gebauer, Madrid, 2023
    Photo: Roberto Herrero

  • Erik Schmidt, Mutanten, exhibition view at carlier | gebauer, Madrid, 2023
    Photo: Roberto Herrero

  • Erik Schmidt, Mutanten, exhibition view at carlier | gebauer, Madrid, 2023
    Photo: Roberto Herrero

  • Erik Schmidt, Mutanten, exhibition view at carlier | gebauer, Madrid, 2023
    Photo: Roberto Herrero

  • Erik Schmidt, Mutanten, exhibition view at carlier | gebauer, Madrid, 2023
    Photo: Roberto Herrero.