Ulrich Hensel : Sites

Ulrich Hensel (* 1946) finds the motifs of his remark-able photographs at construction sites. These chance constellations-expressive and abstract paintings, semi-reliefs, and sculptures-are not always readily identifiable to the viewer. The pared-down language of the image is always based on an authentic photo-graph, which is never digitally altered; the great strin-gency of these works is indebted solely to the mas-terfully selective eye of the artist. Hung on the wall in one-to-one scale, Hensel's photographs are windows to the world. Through the framing of the image the mundane, technical world of rebar, T-beams, insula-tion, wall markings, cladding, and welded steel mats is condensed into exciting fields of color, sculptures, and symbols that recall the works of artists such as Mark Rothko, Donald Judd, and Cy Twombly. All of Hensel's compositions are punctuated by a strip of the ground running across the bottom of the im-age-an optical hint for the viewer. Still, only those who are looking for a work of art truly find it.