Artist Statement (2024)

Jennifer Burtchen is a German artist who lives and works in Berlin. Her drawings and paintings invite the viewer to connect with their inner nature and the outer one, in which boundless vastness they try to find themselves. In her choice of motifs she often comes back to depict water and mountain landscapes.

Large-format drawings show mountain landscapes and the highest peaks as a huge, which on the first view initially appear as static mass. On the second view, the seemingly endless, narrow strokes draw the viewer into the reality of the land masse`s directness. The dichotomy of static and apparently moving imagery provokes the viewer and undermines their need for identification. The absence of the horizon, abstraction into clear forms with distinct outlines and seemingly monochromatic surfaces give the drawings immediacy.

By depicting the physical properties of water, and in particular the constant force of the sea, Jennifer Burtchen enters the category of the sublime. The impasto emphasizes the reflection and mobility of the element. The layers of color interpret the fluctuating surface and create the impression of unchanging movement.

Jennifer Burtchen's drawings and paintings elude the viewer, inviting them to reconnect with her work, to re-engage, to discover something new in her work and in themselves; to feel alive and ultimately to encounter themselves differently.

Copyright © 2024 - Jennifer Burtchen