Throughout his lifetime, primarily working in his studios in Berlin, Germany and Nong Khai, Thailand, Albrecht Genin (Oldenburg 1945 – Berlin 2013) has built an impressive body of work. Far removed from artistic trends, museums, art critics, and galleries, Genin transformed the realities of life into livable fantasies. From the beginning, Genin chose printed materials such as bibles, law books, maps, sheet music, and cash books as his canvas. His works are visualizations of the stories he encountered during his travels in countries such as Germany, Thailand, and Afghanistan. These journeys across oceans are reflected in his exhibition, Ocean Stories.
Simplicity
Genin’s aim is to simplify the complex world. Not from a philosophical “back to nature” standpoint, but simply because the world is already complex enough. This desire is illustrated in his work. All of his artwork is simplified and directly put onto paper. Genin did not enjoy working on a blank canvas and preferred to use printed materials such as a page from a bible, sheet music, a geographical map, or an old law book.
When using sheet music, Genin would begin with a single line, but then develop it into a figure. The practical size of books gave him the ability to make sketches in Thailand and later expand upon them in his studio in Berlin. In his paper works, Genin primarily used black oil paint or India ink.
He believed that color isolates the development of an image, as opposed to the foundation. Starting with color would distract from the image being formed in black and abstract. Beginning with a black base allows for the focus to remain solely on the composition.
ww.ftn-books.com has several Genin titles available
