At Frieze New York 2019, Stephen Friedman Gallery exhibits a two-person presentation of new works by Swedish artist Andreas Eriksson and Brazilian artist Luiz Zerbini, both united in their profound engagement with the natural world.
Andreas Eriksson has created one of his largest paintings to date, which is shown alongside a new series of small and medium size works. Working deep in the Swedish countryside, Eriksson's strength lies in his ability to elicit a palpable sense of place. His paintings reveal stark combinations of colour and texture; thinly applied fields of paint sit alongside pronounced areas of thick impasto, resembling both organic forms and aerial, topographical views. Eriksson is currently the subject of a solo exhibition ‘Cutouts, Mistakes and Threads' at Braunsfelder Family Collection, Cologne, Germany until 29 May 2019.
Accompanying the Eriksson paintings is a new series of monotypes and a multi-media sculpture by Luiz Zerbini that similarly engage with nature and ephemerality. The new monotypes continue a project the artist initiated in 2016 when he used leaves from plants collected from the lush, botanical gardens of Inhotim, Brazil. By directly feeding them into the printing press, Zerbini captures the intricate, almost photographic, details of their veins, stems and gentle folds. Since beginning the printing process, Zerbini has become entranced with it, stating, ‘For me, I would pass the whole world through the press.' These monotypes will be displayed with ‘Mesa Grande', a multi-media sculpture referred to by the artist as a ‘three-dimensional landscape'. Juxtaposing organic and geometric patterns in the work, Zerbini draws on a rich history of geometric abstraction in Brazilian modern and contemporary art. In July 2019, Zerbini will have a solo presentation at Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in Paris.
Andreas Eriksson was born in 1975 in Björsäter, Sweden. He lives and works in Medelplana on the south bank of Lake Vänern, Sweden. Notable solo exhibitions include: ‘Cutouts, Mistakes and Threads', Braunsfelder Family Collection, Cologne, Germany (2019); ‘Kria', Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK (2018); ‘Work in Progress', Skissernas Museum, Lund, Sweden (2017); Public art commission, Nya Karolinska Sjukhuset, Solna (2018); ‘Röta, bråka, skäkta och häckla', Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden which toured to Trondheim Kunstmuseum, Norway; Centre PasquArt, Biel, Switzerland and the Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland (2014-2015); ‘The Imminence of Poetics' 30th Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil (2012); The Nordic Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2011, Venice, Italy (2011); ‘Roundabout the hardship of believing' and ‘Walking the Dog, Lying on the Sofa,' MUMOK, Vienna, Austria (2008).
Eriksson's works are included in prominent collections internationally including: Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; MUMOK, Vienna, Austria; Gothenburg Museum of Art, Sweden; Moderna Museet, Sweden; Skövde Art Museum, Sweden; National Public Art Council, Sweden; Sundsvall Museum, Sweden; Uppsala Art Museum, Sweden; FRAC, Auvergne, France; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo, Norway.
Luiz Zerbini was born in São Paulo in 1959 and lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1984, he participated in the famous exhibition ‘Como vai você, geração 80?' at Parque Lage in Rio de Janeiro. In 1995, he received the Grand Prize of criticism in the visual arts category of Art Critics of São Paulo Association (APCA). In 2018 Zerbini had his first solo exhibition in a UK public institution, ‘Luiz Zerbini: Intuitive Ratio', at South London Gallery, London, UK. Zerbini has been the subject of major mid-career surveys at Casa Daros, Rio de Janeiro (2014); Instituto Inhotim, Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil (2013); and Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (2012). Zerbini is currently included in the group exhibition ‘Southern Geometries, from Mexico to Patagonia' at Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, France. He has exhibited in galleries and museums across Brazil and the world and has represented Brazil at notable Biennales including the São Paulo Biennial (2010 and 1987); Bienal do Mercosul, Brazil (2001); Bienal de La Habana, Cuba (2000); and the Bienal Internacional de Cuenca (1996). He is also part of the renowned Chelpa Ferro group, participants of the São Paulo's 20th Biennial.
