Maximilian Prüfer "Brut"

Gallery Lisa Kandlhofer is pleased to present “BRUT”, a solo exhibition by Maximilian Prüfer
(b. 1986 Weilheim, Upper Bavaria, Germany).

In the exhibition “BRUT” Prüfer confronts us with things outside of our comfort zone, such as reflections on our cultural identity or asking bold questions like e.g.:
“On how many subconscious acts are our free actions based on and where are we manipulated?”

Prüfer’s works are fragile, unfathomable images, in which nature plays the main role. Raindrops appear like bullet holes, the traces of ants seem like a fabric.
The artist uncovers the unremarkable, by developing his own methods of representation, the “nature antypies”, to create abstract images.
With diverse layers of color and fixative, the traces of insects, snails or rain are preserved on paper, thus creating extraordinary and highly aesthetic works. Prüfer’s subjects are movement and the dynamic processes of nature, and nature serves as the inspiration for as well as the creator of his images. Maximilian Prüfer manages to transfer minuscule details onto large formats and discloses, therefore, a new perspective of the world.

Through his philosophical examination of the world, he raises questions of social criticism, by establishing analogies between the behavior of human beings and animals. And although chance plays a significant role in Prüfer’s works, the artist deliberately interferes in the events, through manipulation and scrutiny in order to realize his artistic concepts.

Prüfer regards nature as a perfect example for structures and thought patterns – an idea he would like to convey for instance by way of his 48-part work “Butterfly Prints”, which are showcased in Vienna for the first time by Gallery Lisa Kandlhofer.
By transferring the pigments of butterfly wings onto paper, Prüfer creates an abstract representation of the evolutionary processes, thereby seeing nature as the originator of his unique works.

“Brut”, a monograph on his work was published by Hatje Cantz in December 2016.