WESTFARBE:
PAINT vs COLOUR
Helen Calder
Renee Cosgrave
Christoph Dahlhausen
Judy Darragh
Katharina Grosse
Marcia Hafif
Callum Innes
Noel Ivanoff
Leigh Martin
Simon Morris
Christine Reifenberger
Winston Roeth
David Thomas

The German language uses the term Farbe for both the phenomena of colour and for the material of paint. By contrast, the English language differentiates between colour and paint, suggesting a space within the practice and discourse of painting in which generative questions can be raised. In Western Europe during the 1970’s and 80’s artists began to orientate their practice around these questions, testing out the fundamental relationships and basic conditions of painting. This exhibition explores such artistic investigations by bringing together process-orientated and chromatically driven approaches to the medium of painting. Operating as a platform for discussion, WestFarbe  establishes dialogue between practices concerned with aspects of ‘Farbe’ in different but fundamentally phenomenological and explorative ways. 

WestFarbe: Paint vs Colour curated by the German based artist Christoph Dahlhausen, began in Bonn at the contemporary artspace raum2810 in 2016 and travelled throughout Germany to Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen in 2017 and the Stadtmuseum Siegburg in 2018. For each venue the list of artists and works varied and this will continue during its ongoing tour to other host galleries and institutions. 

The most recent iteration in Auckland features artists: Helen Calder (NZ), Renee Cosgrave (NZ/AU), Christoph Dahlhausen (D), Judy Darragh (NZ), Katharina Grosse (D), Marcia Hafif (US), Callum Innes (UK), Noel Ivanoff (NZ), Leigh Martin (NZ), Simon Morris (NZ), Christine Reifenberger (D), Winston Roeth (US), David Thomas (AU). 

Curated by–Dr Christoph Dahlhausen, January 2020.