In a self-directed film, the protagonist slowly enters the studio, uses a scraper to pick up semi-dry chunks of paint, and smears and mixes them on the canvas to the rhythm of quirky electronic music. The series of unthinking actions seem entirely instinctual. This is the state of Albert Oehlen when he paints. Despite being a significant figure in contemporary art, Oehlen doesn't care about having a signature style or being classified into a specific art school. For decades, he has stood at the intersection of figurative and abstract art, firmly believing that painting is an expression of emotion and intuition rather than a complex narrative.

Currently, the Louis Vuitton Espace in Beijing is hosting Albert Oehlen's solo exhibition Malerei which includes six works from 1992 to the present, most of which have never been exhibited before. The exhibition, with its rich and varied imagery, invites viewers to explore how this important contemporary artist creates and what his life trajectory has been.

Oehlen's rebellious creativity quickly made him a rising star in the art world. To him, painting is like an experiment, and experiments can contain contradictions or even mistakes. Thus, after several years of exploring figurative painting, Oehlen turned to abstraction in 1988. That year, he was still living with his friend Martin Kippenberger. One day, both felt the urge to try something new, and they each started to ponder their own ideas. Oehlen candidly said, "What I want is emotion! Sometimes, I have to admit that my artistic creation is a bit too sober..."

Clearly, Oehlen found the emotion he sought in abstraction. From then on, perspective relationships almost disappeared from his paintings, replaced by a sense of depth created through layered brushstrokes. These works are reminiscent of Willem de Kooning, with whom Oehlen shares a similar concept: never worrying about how to paint a good painting, but rather seeing how far he can push himself. At the same time, Oehlen was also drawn to Pop Art, lifting previous restrictions and starting to use bold and vibrant colors. The ambiguity lies in the fact that, compared to true Pop Art, it is almost impossible to discern the subject matter in his paintings.

Although his style is ever-changing and often unconventional, Albert Oehlen is not a mysterious or difficult-to-understand artist because his creations are always self-consistent. He simply comes up with new ideas from time to time and then devotes himself to realizing them.

Translator: SHEN Ruixuan

Reviewer: JIANG Wenyi