In his first solo exhibition at Weserhalle, titled Sunny Waters, Berlin-based artist Julian Simon presents a series of new works that explore duality and introspection.
Julian Simon works exclusively with ultramarine blue, alizarine crimson, cadmium yellow, ebony black and titanium white to create the unique, muted spectrum in his paintings. It is apparent that the presented range of colours originates from a singular source – and often a singular paint brush – with the compositions and characters tied together by a smoky, unified quality. This quality which almost functions like a hazy veil, which partially overlays the works that draw from memories of the artist, gives the motifs a nostalgic, almost melancholic feeling.
Snapshot-like perspectives are contrasted with clay-like figures that appear intentionally added. Stars stuck to the night sky, dogs running through a dusty park, birds circling above sunny waters. These surreal “add-ons” that appear sometimes within the composition of the painting as if they have been part of the memory and are amplified to reveal the dichotomy of a moment. Sometimes they quite literally seem attached to the surface, which is suggested only by a gentle shadow, as perhaps a wish of what could have been or would have made the moment in it’s mundanes more memorable. Simon uses this visual commentary to expose the layered complexity of the recollection.
The artist explains that “both visually and contextually, they [the works] depict opposites meeting each other in a state of unknown feelings.” In the titular piece of the exhibition, Simon paints a sun dipping its legs into the water, illuminating the surface. He explains: “I’m deeply afraid of open waters, so I chose the name as an analogy for shining light on what you are most scared of. Which sometimes is to face oneself, and all the feelings that come with it.”
By the directness of the juxtaposition between a memory and the decision of taking charge by owning the feeling of it in his own visual language, Simon’s works open a pathway toward embracing our own vulnerability.
Julian Simon (*1994, Germany) is a Berlin-based artist who studied at the Kunsthochschule in Berlin-Weißensee. His solo exhibition, “Wild Accusations,” was displayed at Gallery Nali in Berlin in 2024, and his work was most recently showcased at Galerie Chloe Salgado in Paris in 2022. Julian also participated in the Artissima art fair in 2023 and was the proud recipient of the 2022 Marin Painting Prize.
