A compass is a navigation device whose needle moves constantly and yet always points in the same direction. Frank Gerritz (* 1964 in Hamburg) is also in permanent motion and at the same time goes his way very directly and purposefully. This is how on the site of galerie MIchael Haas, Gerritz is introduced…..
An important parameter of his works are human body dimensions, which run through his entire work in various proportions. At the same time, these are also found in references between the different groups of works. This shows in how many directions Gerritz is thinking at the same time to find out the possibilities of design.
The process of creation of his works is decisive in this respect. His wall and floor sculptures are created in intensive and elaborate processes. Exemplary are his works in which he draws for months, with very soft pencils on MDF boards and thereby compresses the surfaces to such an extent that they begin to reflect and become projection surfaces – of light, color and space. Under comparatively extreme working conditions, he creates iron sculptures, which he produces with a team of assistants in an iron foundry in Kaiserslautern. Gerritz attaches great importance to the precise craftsmanship and execution of his works. This is particularly visible in his aluminum works. With black paintstick (oil wax crayon) he draws in many layers – line after line on anodized aluminum plates.
Not only the mental, but also the physical involvement of Frank Gerritz is extremely intense and cannot be seen at first glance. Only when exploring his thought system and his way of working do these wonderful works of art reveal themselves. His works captivate with a clarity that draws the viewer under their spell.
Frank Gerritz has gained international attention in his decades of determined practice, and his works can be seen not only in German museums, such as the Falckenberg Collection in the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg or, more recently, in the Museum Wiesbaden. Works by him are also represented, for example, in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, in the Menil Collection in Houston or the Collezione Panza di Biumo in Italy.
www.ftn-books.com has one Gerritz publication available.
