2012/02/09

Simon Raab: CRUSHED

Lausberg Contemporary is honoured to welcome internationally renowned artist Simon Raab to our Toronto location for his solo exhibition, CRUSHED. Raab, who started his career as a physicist and mechanical engineer, appropriates images of historical personalities from politics, science and the arts. Using brute manual force and a jack hammer, Raab deliberately reshapes painted steel and aluminum sheets. The once-flat materials of painted metal begin to pucker and buckle to reveal a dazzling bas-relief image surface.

Simon Raab explains his technique:

My art form is called “Parleau”, derived from the French “par l’eau”, which means “through the water”. It is a combination of painting and sculpture images enamelled on metal foil and then formed by hand to different degrees of spatial reflective abstraction. It is a creative and destructive process, which adds a random moving character to the surface.

“Parleau” evolves to simulate the essence of seeing images through the rippling surface of water which constantly change. The image of a face is at one moment kind, at another moment angry and cruel. By its very nature, something, which is always changing can neverbe an absolute.

Raab has exhibited across Europe, North America and Asia. Raab’s work is no stranger to controversy. Banned in China, was an exhibition so contentious it made international headlines. Earlier in 2012, the artist was prevented from showing his work in China.

“I suppose it should be regarded as a badge of honor to be banned for making art about political freedom.” - Simon Raab

Please join us at our opening reception on
Thursday September 6, 2012 from 7- 10 pm.
The artist will be present

To request a pdf catalogue of the exhibition and more information on Raab, kindly contact the gallery at toronto@galerie-lausberg.com or 416-516- 4440.