MALMO.- At first glance, John Zurier’s paintings give the impression of being monochrome, but on closer examination they reveal rich nuances and modulations in colour and treatment. This is a subtle, finely tuned and consistent abstract painting where nothing is superfluous.

Zurier’s painting leads us into an enchanting world of dreams and memories - and then back to a here and now, says Iris Müller-Westermann. The paintings can evoke a sense of summer, a soft breeze, a scent or a mood by the ocean. We are very happy to introduce our visitors to colour magician John Zurier’s elusive worlds.

John Zurier paints on different types of grounds. In the dialogue between canvas and paint, the artist accentuates marks in the fabric or makes lines that relate to and enhance the picture format. The paintings emerge in a meditative process that demands the artist’s attention and takes time. Worlds and moods that open up while looking at Zurier’s colour spaces are dream-like and ephemeral. At the same time, lines that emphasise the format or marks in the canvas and surface lead the viewer back to the painting’s physicality and invite us to be present in the moment.

John Zurier was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1956. His practice is based in Berkeley, California, and Reykjavik. Many of the he pieces in this exhibition were made in Iceland in 2020. Zurier studied painting at University of California, Berkeley. In addition to galleries in the USA and Europe, he has been shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco (2018), New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe (2016) and other museums and biennials, including São Paulo, Brazil (2012) and the Whitney Biennial (2002). Moderna Museet has one work by the artist in its collection.

Curator: Iris Müller-Westermann

The exhibition is on view at Moderna Museet Malmo through September 26, 2021.