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B. 1954
DJ TECHNO

measurements
360 by 340cm.

alternate measurements
141 3/4 by 133 7/8 in.

oil and mixed media on canvas

Executed in 2001.

PROVENANCE

Galerie Grasslin, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

EXHIBITED

Lausanne, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Albert Oehlen, Paintings 1980-2004, p. 114, illustrated in colour

NOTE

Very much aware of history, politics and artistic tradition, Albert Oehlen's work seeks to break the boundaries of all that is staid in art and create an aesthetic revolution. Like the work of his peers Martin Kippenberger and Werner Buttner, Oehlen's canvases are synonymous with the punk generation from whence these neo-expressionist artists exploded onto the German art scene. Parodying the excessive style and self-importance of older, established artists that preceded him, from Kandinsky's colour theory to Basquait's 'urban graffiti' art, Oehlen's distinctive form of visual anarchy voices the creative liberty and concerns of a new generation. In an era confronted by the clash of ideolgy, art and politics, DJ Techno embraces the diversity of visual stimuli and and challenges facing artists at the dawn of the 21^st century. Like Kippenberger who regarded all matter as suitable for reiteration as 'high art' in his quest to trasnform the public perception of the artist, Oehlen here deliberately obscures the cohesiveness of the image through a myriad of layers, forms and textures in search of a non-artistic, anti-aesthetic style.

Leaving faintly visible elements still readable, Oehlen here defamialirzes the viewer with the conventions of painitngs through every sweepeing brushstroke and dripping mark This immense canvas with it's intensity of psychedelic colours, varied patterning and range of three-dimensional shapes, proves Albert Oehlen to be a truly anarchistic master of depth and distortion. Layer upon layer of colour and various mediums from spray paint to oil and acrylic are placed on top of a canvas which has been superimposed with computer generated images, drawing in the gaze of the viewer, transfixing the eye. DJ Techno, with its' pop emblems, explosive colour palette and elaborate range of abstractions has a tangible, sensory quality quite unique to this artist.