Elga Wimmer Gallery presents an exhibition by Germán Tagle.

Eternal Return is conceptually based on the ancient philosophical premise that the universe is limited in extent and contains a finite amount of matter, while time is perceived as infinite. The universe has no starting or ending state, while the matter comprising it is constantly changing. The number of possible changes is finite, however, thus sooner or later the same state will recur, or as Heinrich Heine described, ‘all configurations which have previously existed on this earth must yet meet, attract, repulse, kiss, and corrupt each other again’.

This concept is represented by Nature, a protagonist in the artwork of Germán Tagle. In his paintings composed of acrylic paints and mediums on raw cotton, toile, and denim, Nature destroys and builds hybrid and ever-changing landscapes wherein time is cyclical, not lineal. It grows and evolves infinitely and without concern for any object in its path. Tagle represents it as an unstoppable and at once gentle power by correlating this energy directly with his brushstrokes. The sensual and charged character of the strokes deftly conveys both tender movement and unyielding force. This results in compositions that are powerful, thick, fecund, vibrantly coloured, and idyllic, each stroke containing a balance of admiration for the opulence as well as the lethal power of Nature.

Placed in an indefinable, unknowable, and boundless space, the figures small and exposed occupying Tagle’s seismic landscapes are in a state of contemplative, desirous waiting. A Romantic reading of the work reveals it as a contemporary example of artistic exploration into the Sublime. The figure, therefore, is a pawn to the effects of the Sublime, surrounded on all sides by the constant possibility of being consumed by the environment, over and over, in an eternal return.

Germán Tagle (b. Chile 1976) studied architecture and art in Chile and Argentina. He currently lives and works between Chile and New York. His artwork has been reviewed in major publications in Chile and the United States, and written about by curators Rocio Aranda-Alvarado and Elvis Fuentes in catalogue essays. He is in a number of private and corporate collections as well as the permanent collection of El Museo del Barrio, New York.

Curated by Esperanza León, Eternal Return is the fourth SOLAR OffSite proposal presented at Elga Wimmer PCC and is Tagle’s second solo show at the Chelsea gallery. SOLAR is based in East Hampton, New York.

This exhibition is made possible with support from Arte+ Corporación and Wines of Chile.