ULRICH ERBEN | Oltre la Linea

Rolando Anselmi is pleased to present Oltre la Linea, the first solo exhibition by Ulrich Erben at the gallery. Erben, whose work is rooted in the geometric abstraction experimentation of post-war Germany, has developed a formal language centered on the exploration of color as a primary element. His artistic journey has evolved through various bodies of work that reflect an increasingly refined and conceptual approach to the use of color, light and spatial dimension. Erben explores how color influences the perception of space, creating works often composed of pure, well-defined color fields and characterized by the use of simple geometries. Despite the precise, geometric forms, such as squares or rectangles, his works often maintain a poetic and emotional quality, evoking a spiritual dimension. The exhibited works belongs to his most recent research, where sharply defined central horizontal lines take on a dominant role, dividing the pictorial plane into two mirrored units. Erben creates compositions where edges, contact points, and divisions between surfaces emerge through the dynamic of chromatic interactions, where colors either blend or contrast. Through these geometric shapes and fluid color fields, light appears to move across the surfaces in a tangible way, emphasizing transitions between different pictorial planes. The contours and lines shift from precise and structured to dynamic and fluid, creating visual effects that challenge the viewer’s perception. Deeply inspired by the landscapes of Italy and the Lower Rhine region, these central lines, echoing horizons, enable the exploration of spatial dynamics, further enriching the dialogue between light, surface, and color, and investigating how these elements interact and influence each other within the artwork and in relation to its surrounding environment.