Exhibition // Melissa Steckbauer and The Architectonics of Love

In her exhibition at the Liebkranz Galerie, Melissa Steckbauer‘s new works show noticeable development and a shift in style. Her previous works consisted mainly of paintings that possessed a certain rawness, often depicting pornographic imagery. These older more explicit works, differ from the meticulous cut out and layered images of her new works that veil any intimate forms.

Melissa shows no fear in exploring different mediums. A point of visual transformation in her work is evident in two paintings on velvet. The paintings present a play between colour and texture; the velvet material contrasts with the rough paint strokes, which echo the style of her past work.

Melissa Steckbauer, “S&B (blue, bed)” (2013), cut paper, 126 x 84 cm; courtesy of Liebkranz Galerie

The exhibition also presents a series of photographs printed in different formats and colours, all of which have been slit to form different geometrical patterns. The delicate incisions reveal a coloured background layer, introducing an element of handcrafted ornamentation which lends each photograph a uniqueness.

While these images display a clear aesthetic intent, some are also of sentimental value to the artist, belonging to her and containing memories of the past. The personal subject matter of the images intensifies the process of the artist cutting them up, erasing any clarity in the image. The cuttings gently divorce the image from its subjective content by creating a distance from those intimate scenes. Present are framed pictures as well as large prints, hanging on the wall without protection, exposing their fragility and highlighting the meticulous technique employed.

Melissa Steckbauer, “Timi” (2013), cut paper, 84 x 126 cm; courtesy of Liebkrank Galerie

An intimate aspect of the artist’s life is on display, but at the same time she distances us from the image, distorted by the cuttings and sharply contrasting colours the overall picture is made unclear. Melissa has introduced a new typology in her work, one that makes us look forward to what her next step may be.