Emanuel Seitz and Astrid Bauer: Oggi, no performance

Oggi, no performance is an exhibition of paintings by Emanuel Seitz and sculptures by Astrid Bauer. The Munich-based artist couple are exhibiting with Cadogan in Italy for the first time. Sharing the same studio, their work has evolved together and Seitz’s paintings will hang in dialogue with Bauer’s three-dimensional assemblages.

The title of the show references the notices often seen outside various locations during the Venice Biennale on the slower days between various performances - ‘Oggi (today), there is no performance’. There is a tongue-in-cheek naivety to the Italian/English phrase. More seriously, the idea is that both Seitz and Bauer’s work is about materiality, no performance or explanation is required. 

The direct, high-contrast raw pigments used in Emanuel Seitz’s paintings may seem simple but they are carefully considered. He sources the most pure pigment powders to create colour fields that are hard to look away from; one is confronted by them and they stimulate an immediate visual reaction. The painted marks are applied on top in free-flowing brush strokes in which one can see the influence of his time studying directly under Günther Förg. It is this contrast, between the background and the overlaying marks, that gives the power and harmony to these compositions.

Astrid Bauer’s wooden, stone and cellulose sculptures are assembled, intuitively placing these found and sourced objects into compositions that feel natural but curated. The placement of these pieces inside and outside the gallery will punctuate the show but display the strong autonomy of each of the two artists.