The works of Berlin-based painter Tim Breuer disclose as much as they hold. They are interstitial spaces, figures in transit, both present and on the edge of absence. His narratives are open, disarming, rendered with the utmost delicacy. The densest palettes reveal subtle tones that are sometimes almost aquatic. His influences are multiple - from Ad Reinhardt, Terry Winters, Vuillard, Hammershøi, Munch, to Hito Steyerl and Karl Ove Knausgård.
This luscious, ethereal painting, Seventh Heaven, 2022, depicts an intimate scene between two figures. Startling and beautiful, thin washes of oil paint appear as velvety greens, yellows and earth tones. A half-dressed, shirtless figure is cradled by a black shadow figure, embracing in an upside-down kiss. As these figures are suspended within the expanse of a murky green void, we are presented with an erotic dream space of unclear forms and hazy impressions. There is a story here, the exact details and outcome unknown.
Tim Breuer (b. 1990) graduated from the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (Meisterschuler of Peter Doig) in 2017 and received his MA in Painting in 2019 from the Royal College of Art, London. He lives and works in Berlin. Recent exhibitions include Tim Breuer, solo show with Champ Lacombe, Biarritz, France (2022); lover's absent hours with Satoshi Kojima at TRAMPS, London, UK (2022); and Wild Dogs, group show with Michael Werner Gallery, East Hampton, USA (2021).