Six Decades

de Ben Willikens, Walter Grasskamp

Ben Willikens became known for his paintings of deserted spaces where time seems to stand still. For a long time gray dominated his palette, and his subtle orchestration of three-dimensional light drew both viewers and interpreters who found a 'theater of absence' in his work. Yet Willikens's oeuvre is more extensive and multifaceted than previous catalogues from his many exhibitions have led readers to believe. Now, this comprehensive overview is the first to present the entire range of his oeuvre. In more than 250 pictures, from his drawings of the 1960s to the Anstaltsbildern (institution paintings) and Abendmahl (communion paintings) of the 1970s, the Gegenräume (alternative spaces) and ORTE (places) to the ceiling mural known as the Leipziger Firmament (2014), this survey recapitulates an artistic development in which automotive paint, watercolors, drawings, photographs, gouaches, collages, acrylic paint, and silkscreens have played a role, along with all colors, for more than two decades. Exhibition: Kunsthalle Weishaupt, Ulm, Germany (16.10.2016-26.03.2017).