Behaviour of Colours Exhibition Text

In this exhibition, we will discover how colours behave when interacting with each other. Dutch artist Donald Schenkel creates lucid oil paintings that present us with an innovative visual experience, one that will inspire feelings of peace and tranquillity. By immersing yourself in the space created by the colour gradients and texture of the paint, his work will lead your eye into the faraway distance.

Donald uses the transitions between different colours as a tool to uncover the characteristics of the oil paint, such as translucency and viscosity. Each combination of colours behaves differently – some blend easily while others resist; darker colours feel like they are receding into the distance, while lighter colours feel as if they are moving towards us. By skillfully manipulating these behaviours, Donald’s paintings express their own unique moods, depths and spaces.

While his previous works explored the transitions between strongly contrasting colours, his new paintings experiment with the possibilities of lighter colours. This newest series captures a warmth and subtlety that guides the viewer toward awide range of emotions.

ART23 is proud to present Donald Schenkel’s first solo oil painting exhibition in Guangzhou. His transformative artworks are a perfect fit with our mission to motivate contemporary art. We will continually serve as a laboratory for young artists to explore the dialogue between their work, time and space. We value the interaction between our artists and the public, and champion bold exploration and experimentation within the thriving cultural industry in China and beyond.

前言

「色」字最常见的含义是颜色，是这次展览最突出的元素。「入色」，即进入颜色，是艺术家进入对颜色的研究；「出色」即出于颜色，是艺术家从对颜色的探索中走出去，进而进行对自身的探索与反思。以「色」为引，艺术家用其极具深度又不失轻盈感的渐变色油画，带领观众浸入颜色的体验。只有身临此境，才能察觉「色」的层次，感知「色」的温度，从而发现更多关于「色」的奥秘。

ART23荣幸推出荷兰新锐艺术家Donald Schenkel在广州的首个油画展览。在这次展览中，观众可以窥见艺术家对于「色」的实践与理解。观众在其油画作品中，可以看到艺术家用特殊技法创造的细微渐变，在亮光中一览无遗，在昏影里深藏不露，随之进入更深更远的境界。

在进入颜色研究的最初，艺术家曾探索颜色与颜色之间如何形成强烈的对比，但出乎意料地，被他所看见的更多是颜色之间的柔和交融，这也促使了他开始对渐变进行研究。在研究中，他发现渐变中越深的颜色会显得越通透，他看见颜料在不同的介质表面作画的效果，他学会在白色颜料的稀释下让颜料呈现出新的特性……渐变，不仅让艺术家对「色」有更多的认知，更给观众提供了新颖的观「色」角度。

从对颜色的探索中走出，艺术家回到了对自身的探索与反思。颜色与颜色的互动，既可以被解读为冲击，也可以被解读为融合。正如出和入，一个看似相反的动作，实际上却是两种同时发生的状态。「入色」，而后「出色」，艺术家在研究颜色之后创作出平静柔和的渐变，越发「出色」的作品，正体现了他与自己身心更进一步的和解。

艺术馆外嘈杂纷乱，艺术馆内宁静平和。ART23作为国际青年艺术家的实验场，探索作品与时空场域的对话、艺术家与作品的共生与超越、作品与公众的互动体验。希望公众能够沉浸在此次实验性的当代艺术油画作品中，深呼吸，静思考，一起「入色·出色」。