Leif Trenkler
Das Nichtkühl
12.03. – 23.04.2006

Realistic-looking motifs and representational imagery have been experiencing a renaissance in the visual arts for some time now. Painting, and in particular painting with recognizable motifs, continues to enjoy enduring popularity among collectors, galleries, and the public. Abstract painting, on the other hand, seems to be dead. But appearances can be deceiving. Even superficially recognizable images can be abstract paintings. It’s just that the abstraction is more subtle or cryptic. Not least, the renaissance of realistic-looking motifs in this context reflects the flood of realistic images in the media. One artist who belongs to the new figurative painting movement is Cologne-based painter Leif Trenkler (1960).

He writes about his exhibition in Bremerhaven: “The message is read aloud by the baroque lecturer, who shall remain unnamed here, in a secret language that elicits surprise.
The Non-Cool reports on the inventions of painting. They are enveloped in a peculiar atmosphere that radiates sharply or patchily into the next border area.
“Shimmering light falling through the treetops bathes the world in brightness and creates dancing shadows… Pure areas of color overlay the representational painting in the same image—as if the world dissolves on closer inspection.” (F.A.Z. May 17, 2005)
In the panoramic painting “Hyde Park with Red Canary,” abstract strokes or balls of color interweave with the figurative content, challenging the park to reformat itself in mild weather.
The Mongolian man on the phone receives dark information that lies outside the picture space. Figures from another time connect with the present moment of seeing.
The non-coolness corresponds to the warmth that Bonnard or Vuillard created; it brushes over the scene and floats freely, free of learned statements about life.”

Curated by Klaus Becké.