Sebastian Herzau

With “Where it belongs”, Sebastian Herzau presents his largest solo exhibition to date. Over 30 works provide a comprehensive insight into his work, including his well-known tape portraits, the continuing series of Batman masks, still lifes, landscapes and flower paintings. The exhibition is complemented by portrait oil paintings with deliberate blurring that create a special atmosphere.

Sebastian Herzau explores the boundaries between illusion and reality in his paintings. His works move between concealment and revelation, between classical painting technique and contemporary interpretation. Using trompe-l'œil effects (an illusionistic style of painting that simulates three-dimensionality), overpainting and deliberate distortions, he creates fascinating visual worlds that question the way we see. His still lifes oscillate between representationalism and abstraction, with light and color gradients playing a central role. The series of works entitled “The Great Below” creates a tension between distance and intimacy - the people depicted appear to be hidden behind a transparent veil, creating a mysterious effect.

Another series from 2022 specifically quotes flower paintings by Henri Fantin-Latour. By first meticulously copying them, then blurring them and giving the pictures titles of vases from the furniture manufacturer Ikea, Herzau transforms the classic motif into the present with a wink.

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