Ahhh, to be in Leipzig these days and witness the solo show by Christoph Ruckhäberle over at @galeriekleindienst. Das Gläserne Eck (The Glass Corner) marks the artist's 11th solo exhibition with the gallery (if I counted well), and is presenting a series of all-new, large-scale paintings • Once described as "the most conspicuous outsider of the new Leipzig school" #ChristophRuckhaberle has been continuously making work that is clashing, yet somehow fitting into the local scene. Whether working with sculpture, installation, prints, or paintings, there are no traces of soft dreamlike ambiance or expressive approach in his work. Instead, the work is almost exclusively built on clean, graphic shapes, strict patterns, and exact line work. On top of that, the bold depiction of subjects and objects is dominating the imagery, which is further underlined by the vibrant color choices. • Now, this is where the work might be connecting with, for example, Weischer's interiors, or certain sections of Rauch's examples. But where both of those convey a perceptible ambiance of melancholy, Ruckhaberle is often working with scenes that are permeated with definitely strange, but lively energy. At least in the past, cause after the depictions of dancing, walking, drinking, and celebrating, the recent body of paintings certainly shows subjects that are dealing w some sort of burden that's bringing them down. Quite literally, cause a few of the works are depicting them sitting or laying on the floor, falling over each other, and just lost in their thoughts. Such an obvious sense of weight constructs the clash with the prominent, cheerful, and humorous elements. And while they might appear exact, precise, and clean, there is definitely a love for traditional painting and the materiality at the core of these works. By simplifying the forms to an assemblage of painterly color fields, his aesthetics is not shy of drips, thick layers, and visible gestures as he builds volume, light, and perspective. Using such restricting, graphic visual language, Ruckhaberle is still constructing complex and visually attractive pictures imbued w humor and charming timelessness. • @uwewalterfotografie