The Contemporary Art Modern Project is delighted to announce the upcoming opening of “From Darkness Comes Color," a solo exhibition featuring some never-before-seen work from German-born artist Dominik Schmitt. The exhibition opens on March 8, with a reception from 6-8 pm at our gallery location at 791-793 NE 125th St. in North Miami. The reception and exhibition are open to the public, and you can reserve your spot by RSVPing to our Eventbrite using the link below.
The uniquely human advantage that we have gained over the course of evolution is perception of a future yet to come; that we can have a hope for the possibility of a future that has yet to arrive. In that we grow as an individual, and by extension as a society. That understanding of a future leads us to make changes to our routines and our own persona, and in the case of Dominik Schmitt, the very essence of his art. From Darkness Comes Color is an exploration of Schmitt’s past, present and future in terms of the evolution of not only his visual aesthetic but the entire process and thematics of his artwork.
The artistic process is an endless journey, where slight adjustments that could be made in line, texture, and color if not transplanted to the canvas become encircling thoughts in the mind of the artist. Dominik, by his nature as a painter, toils away at canvases layer upon layer, each exposed just enough to see the thoughts that led to each subsequent coat. It is a perpetual series of thinking of the next step, the next element that adds to the piece over hours, days and months. The aforementioned element of future perception given to us allows for this development in piece by piece to exist, and Schmitt’s work has adapted the concept to his entire repertoire. The encompassing darkness of Schmitt’s pre-2020 work is noticeable, from desaturated hues to the chiaroscuro-dominating atmosphere of the figures. One can easily call this Schmitt’s “Dark Era”, but the figures and tone inched closer to the studies of realism of one invested into the studies of the historical arts, with perhaps no better example than that of the elliptical work Smiley (2018).
Upon reaching the quarantine of the world however, the semblance of a new era begins amongst Schmitt’s style and themes. The emergence of large pastels like in “er | he” (2021), the rounded geometrics shapes, and the reactionary pieces to modern events as opposed to the memory vaults that thematically defined his work before have transformed Schmitt’s catalog. Now unafraid of seeking a new future in his art, there is more of the artist than ever before in the emotions that the artist is portraying. All of this is due in part to the restrictions placed upon the world at the time leaving time for introspection within a secluded dwelling. And the future that Dominik vividly saw after lockdown was released was clearly one in which he was no longer under restraint.
His newest works, unconstrained even by medium as they pass unto paper form, release a barrage of colors and surrealism unlike the times of the past. In works such as Nur ein fogel fon fielen (2023) and Holding a stick - Being Happy (2023), they have met the full saturation of their colors, to the point where even the white space has become an integral part of the piece. The surreal figures, still homaging their chiaroscuro roots, have undergone vast changes in proportion and playful crudeness. The serious and studious versions of his work prior have now made way for a child-like exploration where everything is new in the worlds of his work, where beast and man are one in the same. The realized future of Dominik’s style has expanded into this newest suite of works and grows even now in his inspiration for the next generation of pieces he inches away from now.
“No one knows what the future may hold”, as cliche a phrase as it is, is a blessing in itself, as the concept leaves us to make our own decisions into what that future may be. The human instinct to want more of ourselves, to grow and nurture both our own intrinsic needs and that of a newer generation is part of the reason we have advanced as far as we have while having so little time on this planet. Dominik’s work is constantly in that pursuit, constantly affecting himself now and every path that his work heads in, fluxing and flowing at every point in time it has been and will be. It is a progression that from start to finish will be much akin to his own work, a gradient that at the end will burst forth in imagination like colors galore.
Statement and curation by Gabriel Torres
