German artist Kim Bartelt creates art that meditates on the frailty of our existence through simple forms and translucent colors. A hybrid of painting and sculptures, her canvases are minimalistic, geometric landscapes that capture the fragile connection between the visible and the invisible. Instead of using paint, the works result from several layers of irregular pieces of colored, textured sheets of paper glued to the canvas’s rough, unprimed surface. Through this technique, Bartelt composes different abstract forms and shapes. Some have a chalky effect reminiscent of fresco paintings, and others are flatter and more minimal; some are small in size, while others are large sculptural works.

The artist studied art history in Paris before traveling to the United States to complete her studies in Fine Arts at the Parsons School of Design in New York. There, she began collecting paper, employing it to create artworks in which the simplicity of composition clashes with the textured, intricate details of the material. The artist explains that she chose to work with paper because of the texture and versatility that the medium offers. Her use of it, however, is more than an aesthetic decision; it is a way to reflect on the fragility of life through the very fragility of the material.

Radiant and poetic, her collages have a balanced, captivating luminosity. In some, hues contrast sharply with one another. In others, serene forms seem to almost merge into each other. The artist harnesses complex emotional experiences into her geometric compositions, carrying the viewer into the fluid and expressive potentialities of paper on canvas, layer by layer. Her multi-layered work compels us to think of, understand, and express the complexities of human emotion and the many layers of our contemporary existence, those seen and unseen. Beyond engaging the senses, the canvases also verbalize the emotional fortitude needed for artistic expression, giving viewers a chance to question the very role of art.