Tashi Brauen: Hold on to that Paper Again 2
The Embassy of Switzerland in Bangkok, in collaboration with Ronewa Art Projects (Berlin) and SAC Gallery (Bangkok)
Tashi Brauen's interest lies in observing the characteristics of objects and everyday materials in relation to people and space. "I am interested in working with common materials and transforming them into a new form. It's an attempt to give a new view of different contemporary materials and shapes surrounding us."
At the heart of Brauen's practice is a study about materials and surfaces reacting with different interventions. "When I use a new material, it's always an experiment. I start with bending and folding the new material and observing its characteristics. In the end, my intention is to keep the interventions to a minimum." From this experimentation, Brauen finds the fine balance between intentional actions and spontaneous outcomes. Brauen’s most recent work follows a path of reduction, resulting in vibrant minimalist color field canvas paintings that centre the viewing experience on the act of seeing.
Brauen lives in Zurich, Switzerland, and has exhibited internationally, including solo shows in Zurich, Berlin, Munich, and Bangkok. His works are held in public collections in Switzerland, including Canton of Zurich, Canton of Berne, Wettingen Art Collection, and private collections worldwide.
Ronewa Art Projects (Berlin) and the SAC Gallery (Bangkok) present Hold on to That Paper Again 2, an exhibition of recent works by Swiss-Tibetan artist Tashi Brauen. Opening on April 8, 2021, the solo show brings together two series of works on paper, united by Brauen’s mark-making interventions that master a fine balance between intentional actions and spontaneous forms.
Brauen engages his everyday materials in a back and forth conversation, testing their response to his subtle manipulations. His sculptural approach to paper interrogates the physical quality of its surface and structure. For his Cracks series, Brauen paints vibrant color fields that become intersected with the textured lines of the paper’s broken surface as he bends and folds it. Some of these fractures appear like bolts of lightning tearing through the colored surface to the paper beneath, while others are soft creases warping the flat surfaces into a gentle relief.
The Du series was born out of strict coronavirus restrictions in early 2020, where Brauen experimented with materials he found in his Zurich studio. Du magazine has been a leading art and culture periodical in Switzerland since the 1940s. Brauen, who grew up with the magazine and collects it himself, repurposes its pages for his colorful symmetrical print experiments where opaque forms obscure text and image in unique relationships. In this dynamic, the magazine pages are simultaneously cultural artifacts and flat paper surfaces. Brauen’s primitive printing technique calls on the balancing act of control and chance seen across his practice. He sets the parameters of his process and guides his materials with familiarity, though every line or shape is unique and unpredictable.
We extend their heartfelt gratitude to Her Excellency Ambassador Helen Budliger Artieda of the Swiss Embassy in Bangkok for her invaluable support in making this exhibition possible.
Her dedication and generosity have been instrumental in bringing this event to fruition, and we deeply appreciate her commitment to fostering cultural exchange and collaboration.
