Walkthrough with artist Martin Werthmann Saturday, February 15th, 1pm rsvp@wildingcran.com Please join us this Saturday, February 15th at 1pm, for a walkthrough of Berlin based artist Martin Werthmann's exhibition of large scale monotypic woodblock prints. Werthmann’s engrossing prints recall the surfaces of paintings that have been built up in layers and then sanded down in areas, revealing glimpses of the history of their own making. Werthmann carves into wood block panels and prints onto paper in multiple layers that form his unique collage-like final pieces. He approaches the process more as installation than painting—boards are screwed to the floor, paper is folded over the inked elements repeatedly, creating many coats, most of the works are the result of 10 or more printed layers. The prints often exceed 6 x 10 feet – dimensions considered unusually large for woodblock prints. On the surface, Werthmann’s works are an aesthetically engaging series of patterns and textures, yet with more investigation the images reveal a tension and subtle melancholy. The motifs and patterns in his prints are created from found images of dramatic events such as car accidents and explosions, juxtaposed with more traditionally beatific elements like picturesque landscapes and water surfaces. The result is an immersive experience of teeming patterns and diffused imagery. About Martin Werthmann Berlin based artist Martin Werthmann (b.1982) studied from 2004 to 2009 at the Academy of Fine Arts Hamburg, with Andreas Slominski. He also was a student of Wim Wenders, Fatih Akin and Daniel Richter. In 2019 Werthmann designed the scenery and backdrop for the opera Die Tote Stadt at Theatre Bremen. Recent solo exhibitions include Heldenreizer Contemporary/ Munich, Galerie Tore Suessbier/Berlin and MPV Gallery/ The Netherlands.