AXEL ANTASInterventions 26.11.2005 – 18.12.2005
Antas's Tree Structure -drawings are overwhelmingly physical often to the point of monumentality, and yet ethereal and ephemeral. Floating away from the wall or in white frames, they appear gossamer-light rather than solid objects; moreover, the entire paper surface becomes activated and rather than pulling our eye around the picture surface, so that we are invited to return the most intense and contemplative gaze.
Antas works with tonally close 'figure' and 'ground' elements which allow us to be absorbed slowly and delicately into vast, unmeasurable imaginary spaces. Once immersed in these imaginary places, our eyes are set free to wander and roam. In addition, the combination of encountering an unknowable scenario and Antas ' s subtle range of light grey tones allows each work to entangle a sense of grace and threat: our visual pleasure is offset by consternation. In the artist's 'Tree Structure' drawings, the scenes also resemble the aftermath of an unknown disaster.
Alistair Robinson