| A diverse selection of figurative and abstract art, Prelude showcased works from international artists April Bending, Arvee, Erica Ronnbeck, Eugénie Dammer, Georgeta Stefanescu, Hans Johansson, Kurt Rostek, Monika Wally, Peggy Zehring, Herwig Maria Stark, Helen Joynson, and Ria Bisseling. The show demonstrates a balance of abstraction and the figure. Geometric shapes are the dominant theme. Even though it took place in the middle of the Olympics fervor, the exhibition retained its Western influences, which made it stand out in an Eastern setting. A seemingly exasperated white figure emerging from a raven background is one of April Bending’s works, The Gift. Bending awakes the viewer with a jarring juxtaposition of abstraction and figuration. The subject—human figures—poses a strong contrast with the dark backdrop, forming depth and layers that narrate a story filled with incontrollable emotions of the mortal. | 
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Catherine Y. Hsieh
Prelude was on view in July at NY Arts Beijing Space in Beijing.
Ria Bisseling, Toscanian Night Dance. Courtesy of the artist.
A diverse selection of figurative and abstract art, Prelude showcased works from international artists April Bending, Arvee, Erica Ronnbeck, Eugénie Dammer, Georgeta Stefanescu, Hans Johansson, Kurt Rostek, Monika Wally, Peggy Zehring, Herwig Maria Stark, Helen Joynson, and Ria Bisseling. The show demonstrates a balance of abstraction and the figure. Geometric shapes are the dominant theme. Even though it took place in the middle of the Olympics fervor, the exhibition retained its Western influences, which made it stand out in an Eastern setting.
A seemingly exasperated white figure emerging from a raven background is one of April Bending’s works, The Gift. Bending awakes the viewer with a jarring juxtaposition of abstraction and figuration. The subject—human figures—poses a strong contrast with the dark backdrop, forming depth and layers that narrate a story filled with incontrollable emotions of the mortal.
Orange and red prevails in Arvee’s It’s a Bird!. A blurry bird materializing from the green and white splashes flies away from the flaming background. The vibrant imagery is evidence of the artist’s dexterous exercise of paintbrushes and colors.
Surrealism takes over in Erica Ronnbeck’s Little Girl in Pink. Ronnbeck’s contemporary use of paint creates a sphere that feels familiar yet strange. The subtle palette and vast space are combined with geometric grids and shapes. The little girl standing in the middle of the frame seems lost, as if she did not belong there, as if she was out of place and didn’t know where to go.
Wild fiery colors in Eugénie Dammer’s Toscana and Cevennes envelop viewers in a whimsical world that is filled with ambiguous shapes and spontaneous splashes of hues, while purple panels in Georgeta Stefanescu’s Veranda suggest a narrative understood only by the artist. The irregular patterns are reminiscent of exotic stained glass. The white forms a strong contrast with the violet tone, concealing a storyline that is yet to be finished.
Whitewashed grey dominates Hans Johansson’s Prelude series, making it seem almost like sketches with hints of tinges. Dancing with music notes, Johansson’s vague ocean creatures are enlivened by his use of yellow, green, red, and blue. His Nordic palette evokes a kind of optimism that is airy and breezy. The mark-making strokes give birth to a certain texture that seems palpable by the eye.
A circular “8” shape of white and red surfaces from a dark background in Kurt Rostek’s Compassion. Rostek’s impulsive use of brush strokes and daring colors break off the confinement of the canvas, rising and forming a three-dimensional structure that is built by the artist’s hands.
Monika Wally’s dreamy landscapes are inspired by poetry and emotions. Whether portraying the intangible breeze, or the distant planets in the universe, Wally succeeds in creating a fantastical aura that revolves around each piece. The similar aura appears in Helen Joynson’s work, where sea foam blue and kaleidoscopic tints bring forth a sphere that resembles an endless ocean or a widespread fresh meadow.
Peggy Zehring’s two-piece Coming Together Diptych invites the viewer to put things back into perspective, like a jigsaw puzzle. The bold grey white swirl broken in half, paired with roman numeric numbers and symbols in red squares, is like a mysterious code that remains to be cracked.
Painter Ria Bisseling continues this trend for enigmatic moments with her glossy narratives that recall a treasured place and memory. The ambiguous features, on each of the figures in her paintings, lead the viewer to question what lies beneath their impasto faces. The wide-eyed woman and boy in Herwig Maria Stark’s Female Combat project a chilly gaze toward the viewer. The line separating the reality and the painting suddenly disappears, making viewers wonder whether they are watching, or being watched.
Overall, Prelude served not only as a tribute to the Olympics in Beijing, but also as a record of this group of artists who ventured from the West to the East to share their artistic visions with Asia.
