Stella/rotbraun 2.0, Acryl, 60x120cm

Color Space Art  The "Stella" series

„Everything flows“

In his World History of Philosophy, Hans Joachim Störig interprets this famous sentence, which is attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, to mean that “being” is not static but must instead be understood dynamically as eternal change. Unity can be found behind and, at the same time, within the unceasing flow: Unity in diversity and diversity in unity.

This is also where the connection lies between my Mundus paintings and the Stella series: In the case of Mundus, the many small worlds are next to each other - each on its own - but at the same time they make up one big world together. The parts create a whole. In the Stella paintings, the world is in a state of flux. It’s moving. This is because the Stella paintings are explosions. A starry sky with a multitude of stars forms the overall picture, which at first glance seems finished but is actually in constant motion.

As much as I control the process of how a Stella painting comes into being, determine its starting point and guide its progress, I have very little absolute control over the final result. The pouring technique applied, the bitumen used, the colours, the procedure: even if I intervene in a deliberate and precise manner, I cannot enter into the same flow twice and I do not have any final certainty about the outcome – essential components of human life, elements of our world.

Just as some flowing rivers do, the paint dries but the painting does not stop flowing. With the Stella paintings, the process can be seen even in the finished state; they reveal movement and lightness – the dynamics of our world. Even though our eyes only capture the moment, everything is in flux.