The Grimace as a Central Element

The grimace, or mask, is unmistakable in Peer Kriesel’s work. It is an element that runs through all his series of works.

In the surreal depiction of his grimaces, Kriesel confronts the defective and distorted state of the world. Eccentric figures, fearful facial expressions, and shattered lives, but also comical-looking, ridiculous caricatures—rendered with a fine line and yet a gestural painterly approach on paper or canvas.

It is about originality and identity in a digital society.

The grimaces (#FRTZN) become calligraphic, drawn forms. They evoke graffiti tags and, in the FRTZNABSTRCTN series, dissolve into pure abstraction.