New York, Luhring Augustine, Albert Oehlen, 1 May – 5 June, 2004; London, Whitechapel Gallery, 7 July – 3 September, 2006; Bristol, 30 September – 26 November, 2006, Albert Oehlen: I Will Always Champion Good Painting
Catalogue Essay
Oehlen’s style of abstraction is a little strange, a little ugly, but then very beautiful and moody too. Looking at Absteigende Heisse Strahlen (Descending Hot Rays), a quiet grisaille painting, one might imagine it describes a theatrical moment – a dancer doing a soft-shoe with a bucket over his head. It is both whimsical and pensive. Perhaps I’ve over determined the subject matter. Did I see it that way immediately or only after several long looks? Is it really there, or have I imagined it? I have no idea. For painting to be this slippery, this evanescent, it’s got to be good. J. Avgikos, ‘Albert Oehlen: Luhring Augustine’ in ArtForum, 1 September, 2004