I define the Neutral as that which outplays (déjoue) the paradigm, or rather I call Neutral everything that baffles the paradigm (…) Thus I propose that the desire for Neutral is desire for:
—first: suspension (épochè) of orders, laws, summons, arrogances, terrorisms, puttings on notice, the will-to-possess.
—then, by way of deepening, refusal of pure discourse of opposition. Suspension of narcissism: no longer to be afraid of images (imago): to dissolve one’s own image (…)
- Roland Barthes, The Neutral
Almine Rech Gallery New York is pleased to present Women, featuring recent paintings and drawings by Kurt Kauper.
Kauper employs astonishing craft, combining his reverence for masters like Ingres with contemporary subject matter. His work layers historical and contemporary traditions, incorporating both elevated and vernacular subject matter. He subverts his seemingly academic style with a radical, but subtle vanguard sensibility. The effect of his paintings is uncanny. They hover in an indeterminate state between reality and artifice. An uneasy balance between opposing concepts: real and unreal, representation and abstraction, and most interestingly, avant-garde and kitsch, characterizes Kauper’s unique and original approach to painting.