At first glance, Jochen Mühlenbrink’s oil paintings are easily mistakable for photographs, windows or maybe mirrors. With themes of nostalgia, escapism and ambiguity, it’s the kind of art that makes you look twice, drawing audiences into their subtle mystery.
A new suite of Mühlenbrink’s works has landed at Cuturi Gallery. Entitled AIR, the exhibition expands on the German artist’s explorations of illusion and reality, imbuing his prominent Window Painting series with the auratic charm of Singapore.
Windows make a recurring appearance in Mühlenbrink’s work, though they often obscure more than they reveal. With the outside world only slightly shown, AIR probes the nature of perception, situating itself somewhere between the real and the imagined. In these foggy canvases, even the faintest drips of condensation serve as an aperture into the rich moods and rhythms of the city-state that lies beyond.
“Much like twilight, which softens the transition between day and night or the transient process of condensation, these paintings evoke a sense of intellectual curiosity, tinged with a playful, almost childish delight in uncovering the unexpected,” wrote the gallery.
With precision and ambiguity in equal measure, this body of work compels us to reconsider how we interpret the world. This question of perception blends deft technique with simple pleasure, inviting audiences to return to a time when finger-traced figures on fogged car windows was a magical act.
AIR is now on view in Singapore until January 4, 2025
Cuturi Gallery
61 Aliwal St,
Singapore 199937
