Gerd Leins
Gerd Leins' art exists in a field of tension between presence and absence. Like an unknown race car driver hurtling through bends at 300 km/h, Leins chases the idea of the self – always searching, never quite arriving. His work cannot be pigeonholed into a fixed category. The central theme of his works is the fleeting self, constantly in flux and ultimately fading.
Leins understands life as a moment embedded between “nothingness.” In this moment, our consciousness exists. It is a time of solitude, where the self confirms its existence in the presence of other people. This fragility of the self is reflected in his works, which play with memories and transience.
A recurring motif in his works is the use of obituaries, which he glues onto canvas and then covers in layers. Initially, the message of the obituary is clear and legible, but in the course of the process, it is increasingly obliterated – the words disappear until only the empty surface remains. Leins works with black and white colors, which illustrate the ambivalence of memory and the fading of the past. What remains is a feeling of emptiness, and yet also of incessant transformation.
Another characteristic element of his work is its homage to Color Field Painting, as exemplified by artists such as Morris Louis or Helen Frankenthaler. However, Leins goes a step further by integrating this formal language into his own, sometimes provocative "zipper pictures." He breaks with the classical dimension of painting, thereby opening up new perspectives and interpretations.
"What is left for us in this world in the end?" Leins asks. Perhaps everything – and at the same time nothing. Ashes to ashes. Gerd Leins' art invites us not only to contemplate this moment of transience but to feel it. In his online gallery, art lovers can discover Leins' works and buy art online. Whether as part of a collection or as a unique statement in one's own home – Leins’ works are more than just objects; they are an invitation to rethink the questions of life, self, and memory. Those who want to use art to create an atmosphere of reflection will find in his paintings a space for profound engagement with transience.
In 2024, Gerd Leins was awarded the "Annual Art Award for Chinese Celebrities" in China; the award was presented by Mr. Yan Xi, China's most significant literary poet.
