Known for his wit and endless inventiveness, Sigmar Polke is widely celebrated as one of the most influential artist of the postwar era. His mastery of alchemy and experimentation with optical effects is evident in the present set of Cibachrome prints, which belongs to Polke's pioneering series of photographic works he produced in 1982, 1992 and 2000. These works are photographs of the remarkable visual effects Polke achieved by exposing photosensitive sheets to irradiated uranium, resulting in amorphous, cloud-like forms that emanate across the dark expanse.
"In this case Polke has sensitized the paper by placing radioactive rocks in the vicinity of the emulsion. It is a record of the forces that bind the universe and the trace of these forces in the substance of the earth." —Anthony Bond, Director, Curatorial at the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Polke first began exploring the effects of uranium in 1982, having brought back a piece back from a trip to Australia. Polke's interest in radioactivity reflects his broader fascination with the invisible, metaphysical forces of the world, as well as his radical experimentation with different media. Photographic work such as the present one highlight the far-reaching influence of his oeuvre, presenting an important precursor to the work of contemporary artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans or James Welling.