Laurentius Sauer
Exploring the limits and possibilities of coincidence
A wooden perch stands uncannily in the forest, and yet surreptitiously blends into its surroundings. Its placement was as part of the large-scale installation «The View» by Laurentius Sauer exhibited in 2018 as part of the group exhibition «Forest. Enter. Exit» at the MEWO Kunsthalle in Memmingen, Germany. The surface of the wooden perch is sprayed with bright colours and it rises up to provide a view of the corresponding wall piece: a large-format graffiti composed of organic shapes, letters and logos evoking a highly abstracted urban landscape.
For Sauer, graffiti and the use of spray paint in public spaces has been an important pathway to his current artistic practice. «It felt good to make something that lasts and at the same time contribute to current society», the artist explains in an interview. He creates works focusing on the possibilities and limits of coincidence as well asking questions of contemporary debate, unpacking masculinity and the patriarchy through his interest in pop culture. The artist strives for the ever-new, questioning the world that surrounds him through quick and sensitive gestures on the canvas. Using spray paint as a medium and technique, Sauer is able to create in the moment. His brisk work, however, does not exclude an intense examination of material, color, and form. The artist's interest in both traditional and contemporary painting is evident in the careful yet dynamic placement of lines and planes.
Interaction of materiality and cultural (self-) referentiality
Laurentius Sauer's canvas works provide strong insight into his technical as well as thematic work: Traditional materials such as oil paint or pastel and chalk meet lacquer paint. On the one hand, they represent the classical art form, and on the other, they can be found in contemporary urban spaces. In «My American Dream» (2020) the artist combines his expressive gesture with motifs and slogans from our world of consumption and advertising. He relates typography, sharp shapes and vivid colors to each other and enables the viewers to question their own position in their everyday life, in a world surrounded by images and cultural references.
Text by Gianna Rovere
I perceive physical exertion as relaxation, so painting may definitely be strenuous.
Biography Laurentius Sauer
born 1987 in Germany
Education
2011-2017 Fine Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, Germany / Painting and Graphics, Class Prof. Günther Förg and Class Prof. Gregor Hildebrandt
Master Scholar («Meisterschüler») of Prof. Gregor Hildebrandt
2007-2010 Graphic Design, Friedrichshafen, Germany
Exhibitions (selection)
2019
GREEN WONDERLAND, Sommergalerie, Zöbing, Germany (SOLO)
Benefizauktion NAK, Neuer Aachner Kunstverein, Aachen, Germany
Innercircle, Kösk, Munich, Germany
arrivederci, off space, Augsburg, Germany
2018
Forest enter exit, MEWO Kunsthalle, Memmingen, Germany
Aufbruch, BERLIN ART WEEK , WURLITZER PIED A TERRE COLLECTION, ARTITIOUS, Berlin, Germany
Wir schwimmen alle im gleichen Wasser, Pasinger Fabrik, Munich, Germany
IAM A FAN OF, Monopol, Siegen, Germany
2017
We are the ones, Carlsberg Byens Galleri & Kunstsalon, Copenhagen, Denmark
Gurlz, Tungsten Gallery, London, England
2016
bare-knuckle fight, Raum.49, Munich, Germany (SOLO)
oder?, Kunstarkaden, Munich, Germany
Collections
Hildegard Collection, Berlin, Germany
Prizes & Scholarships
2019-2020 Scholarship Bayerisches Atelierförderprogramm
Works by Laurentius Sauer
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Blind Bees
2021 / Oil Spray on canvas / 100 x 70 cm / 39.4 x 27.6 in
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DIAMONDS
2021 / Oil spray on canvas / 100 x 70 cm / 39.4 x 27.6 in
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Jump
2020 / Oil, pastel, acrylic on plastic on canvas / 160 x 142 cm / 63.0 x 55.9 in
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Raincape w/o Dad
1993/2020 / Oil, pastell on k.way raincape on canvas / 115 x 100 cm / 45.3 x 39.4 in
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Blackcloud Island
2019 / Oil, pastell on print on canvas / 125 x 175 cm / 49.2 x 68.9 in
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The Rising Star
2020 / Oil, spray on canvas / 160 x 130 cm / 63.0 x 51.2 in
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Road Sheriff
2020 / Oil, acrylic on print on canvas / 120 x 140 cm / 47.2 x 55.1 in
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O.T. OOD
2019 / Oil on print on canvas / 100 x 80 cm / 39.4 x 31.5 in
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NYPD
2019 / Acrylic on print on canvas / 100 x 85 cm / 39.4 x 33.5 in
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sold
My American Dream
2020 / Spray, oil on print on canvas / 125 x 135 cm / 49.2 x 53.1 in
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K Love
2019 / Oil, acrylic on print on canvas / 120 x 92 cm / 47.2 x 36.2 in
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Africa in a Bottle
2020 / Oil, acrylic on print on canvas / 155 x 120 cm / 61.0 x 47.2 in