Volker Hüller: L.I.T.S. Homo Naledi

GRIMM is proud to present the third solo exhibition by Volker Hüller in Amsterdam: L.I.T.S. Homo Naledi, on view at the gallery from June 4th until July 16th, 2016.

Grimm is proud to present the third solo exhibition by Volker Hüller in Amsterdam: L.I.T.S. Homo Naledi, on view at the gallery from June 4th until July 16th, 2016. The exhibition will feature a series of all new work, including paintings, etchings and sculptures.
Hüller’s large scale canvases, etchings and sculptures derive from such early 20th century influences as surreal- ism and expressionism and the work combines classical formal compositions and genre painting to comprise his unique abstracted work.
The title of the exhibition refers to an ongoing series of large-scale etchings dating from 2014 to present titled Lost In The Stars, and also stands for the Chat acronym ‘Life Is Too Short’. Homo Naledi is an extinct species of pre-human beings. ‘Naledi’ means star and the name comes from skeletons that were discovered in the Naledi caves.

The clay sculptures emerged out of Hüller’s practice as a painter. Manmade man out of clay (2016); a complete full-sized skeleton consisting of glazed ceramic is laid out on the floor; a muffler and tire sculptures comple- ment the exhibition. Clay elements are also incorporated into the new paintings, such as WWWWal I and WWWWal II (illustrated). These works are comical references to Gerhard Richter’s color chart paintings from the early 70’s. Depicted is a wall with two clay hands hanging over the side; is this the artist trying to escape his own German art historical reference?