Paul Schwer
Dave Bopp

Galerie Wolfgang Jahn presents the "Transforma" duo exhibition with works by Dave Bopp and Paul Schwer as part of Open Art. "Transforma" exemplifies the artists' collaborative experimentation with a variety of man-made materials, transforming into extraordinary and vibrant colour effects in the process.

Dave Bopp creates colourful and dynamic "All Over" paintings that captivate the viewer. He uses a selection of man-made materials to create dense structures on the surface of his works. The essence of his art lies in the dynamic interplay of structures that reveal a spectrum of transformative hues. This process involves the deliberate use of stencils to subdivide the aluminium composite panels. The original composition is often digitally designed. A variety of chromatic structures emerge from the individual colour fields. In his more recent work, Bopp cleverly interweaves certain areas with marbled textures to create depth in the composition. This combination of complex organic forms creates a multi-dimensional experience of the colour spectrum. The overarching abstraction of the 'All Over' composition is apparent from a distance, while closer inspection reveals the aesthetic nuances of the colour, the subtle textures and their underlying depths.

Paul Schwer's art combines photography, painting and sculpture. This innovative fusion creates dynamic forms that unfold spatially. The surfaces of his sculptures are finished with silk-screen prints and vibrant colours. His subjects are not always immediately identifiable in their final form, with his process of abstraction and form-finding culminating in the final presentation. Acrylic glass, as used by Schwer, refracts the light and the environment to create striking accents of light and independent configurations that are in contrast to the printed motif and the external form. Since 2020, Paul Schwer has focused on plants and habitats, artistically transforming the subjects and translating them into sculptural forms.

Both artistic positions are united by using bright colours to create dynamic structures. They make use of man-made materials that are indicative of the development of art in the 21st century. Both are imbued with a painterly quality as the vibrant colours weave together to form new abstract dynamic structures. The exhibition thus creates an exciting dialogue between Dave Bopp's wall-mounted works and Paul Schwer's large-scale sculptures, resulting in a thoughtful artistic exchange.

The artist Dave Bopp, who was born in Basel in 1988 and currently lives and works in Berlin, completed his fine arts studies at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design. Previously he studied at Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland. Bopp has taken part in international solo and group exhibitions in various countries, including Mexico, the Netherlands, Austria, Peru, Switzerland, South Korea and the USA.

Paul Schwer was born in the Black Forest in 1951 and lives in Ratingen and Düsseldorf. He worked as a child and adolescent psychiatrist until 1993 and studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1981 to 1986. His work has recently been shown in major exhibitions and institutions such as the international Lichtparcours Braunschweig, the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Insel Hombroich and currently at the 13th Blickachsen in Bad Homburg and the Centre for International Light Art in Unna.

(Curated by Wilko Austermann)