Joachim Bandau
Joachim Bandau has been a prominent figure in German minimalism with a career spanning decades, including works in a multitude of mediums such as installation, painting, and sculpture. His work and concepts piece themselves together contextually and become part of an extensive and insightful system. Since the early 1980’s, Bandau has perfected the methodical process of the many-layered watercolours with seemingly endless variation. The diversity of these minimal works is staggering, and indicative of Bandau’s relentless process of alteration and discovery. His Lacquer sculptures go a step further to provide insight into the interconnectedness of the artist’s process. The mirror-like surface of the pieces is the result of traditional Burmese lacquering methods which have been in practice for generations. The resulting product, consisting of either the rich black or warm cinnabar, becomes a wall piece, alluding directly to the artist’s own watercolours. The sculptures become multi-dimensional, affixed to their environment, employing the light, shadow, and area to manifest the minimalist discourse surrounding the activation of space and sculpture.
Bandau’s works have been shown in dozens of various museums, institutions, and major galleries across the world. He has had solo exhibitions at institutions such as Kunstverein Marburg, Museum Ludwig in Cologne, …
Joachim Bandau has been a prominent figure in German minimalism with a career spanning decades, including works in a multitude of mediums such as installation, painting, and sculpture. His work and concepts piece themselves together contextually and become part of an extensive and insightful system. Since the early 1980’s, Bandau has perfected the methodical process of the many-layered watercolours with seemingly endless variation. The diversity of these minimal works is staggering, and indicative of Bandau’s relentless process of alteration and discovery. His Lacquer sculptures go a step further to provide insight into the interconnectedness of the artist’s process. The mirror-like surface of the pieces is the result of traditional Burmese lacquering methods which have been in practice for generations. The resulting product, consisting of either the rich black or warm cinnabar, becomes a wall piece, alluding directly to the artist’s own watercolours. The sculptures become multi-dimensional, affixed to their environment, employing the light, shadow, and area to manifest the minimalist discourse surrounding the activation of space and sculpture.
Bandau’s works have been shown in dozens of various museums, institutions, and major galleries across the world. He has had solo exhibitions at institutions such as Kunstverein Marburg, Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Jüdisches Museum in Berlin, Museum van Hedendagse Kunst in Antwerp, and Neuer Berliner Kunstverein in Berlin. His work has been included in group exhibitions at Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Berlin, Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, Vaserely Museum in Budapest, and Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, among others.
Courtesy of Super Dakota
Jüdisches Museum, Berlin, Germany
Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
Museet for Samtidskunst, Oslo, Norway
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Super Dakota, Brussels, Belgium
Galerie Thomas Fischer, Berlin, Germany
Patricia Sweetow Gallery, Oakland, CA