Hans Kotter: Transformation

JD Malat Gallery is delighted to present “Transformation,” a solo exhibition by world-renowned light artist Hans Kotter. On view from 10 November 2022 until 10 December 2022, the gallery space invites visitors to immerse themselves in Kotter’s otherworldly light-based abstractions. 

Hans Kotter (b. 1966) is a globally recognised light artist, who has been working with the medium of light for over twenty years. He challenges the landscape of contemporary art and science with his light-based pieces, which focus on the pluriverse of optical possibilities that break through the boundaries of space and vision. 

Enchanting the London public with his unparalleled take on the play of light and infinite reflections, Kotter seeks to push the boundaries of human perception. His technically refined light pieces create a sense of illusion both physically and mentally. Focusing on ‘light’ as a phenomena, Kotter explores its composition, spectral colours, physical relationships (such as reflection and refraction), and the resulting illusions. Through the use of simple shapes like circles and rectangles, the artist aims to find different ways to showcase the complexity of light as such. Kotter continuously expands his experimental practice and incorporates mirrors, defies gravity, and ultimately creates imaginary worlds, giving the viewer the freedom to explore themselves within the pieces of art.

The inspiration behind each piece in Transformation stems from the elementary examination of light and the basic elements in artistic production. When we make art, but also when we look at art, we always bring something of ourselves into it: something personal. That is the exciting thing about abstraction: it can be infinitely ambiguous – Hans Kotter. The “Colour Code” series of artworks perfectly exemplifies this thought process. The basic vertical structures resemble barcodes and are an allusion to the ubiquitous barcode. The code consists of a collage of colored stripes - cutouts from photographic macro images of the light spectrum that Kotter created with specially developed prisms. The LED colour change creates a variety of optical illusions and aesthetic stimuli for the viewer. Through the iridescent colour spectra, the codes seem to move. The work "Interference" belongs to this group of works, with the addition of the mirror surface, which allows the viewer to become part of the work.

Kotter welcomes the audience to dive into his sublime imaginary worlds, where his profound narratives erupt with vibrant colours and shapes. Being immensely inspired by Goethe, Kotter quotes him, saying that: “Art is no other thing than the light of nature”. Thus, Kotter largely draws inspiration from nature and emphasises the light as the most sublime concept of all. Demonstrating  the dynamics of nature in his works Cliffs, 2021/22 and In a Bubble, 2022, the artist unveils the simplicity of forms, which, yet, form a complex storytelling of the primordial world. 

Transformation aims at representing the collective experience of the past couple of years, commenting on the transformation which the world has undergone. Furthermore, Kotter incorporates a personal story into the majority of his works, ingraining them into the concept of the world as a whole.  Many of my works invite the visitor of the exhibition to detach themselves from their surroundings and immerse themselves in a sea of light and colour. I create imaginary places, worlds of light, which have their own individual and strong atmospheric effect on every viewer. - Hans Kotter

Kotter constantly challenges his artistic practice, always searching for new means of representing, shifting, and manipulating ‘light’ as a medium and as a phenomenon. This ongoing journey inspired him to create the work “Practicing….” The arrows stand as a symbol for continuous development, emphasizing the importance of the process itself, the ‘trial and error’ aspect of life which should be embraced. One of the most significant works in the Transformation exhibition is “Untitled,” which shows an infinite image of a dove which has been shot with an arrow. As one of the most politically charged pieces, Kotter has found a way to resonate and reflect on the turbulent political events which occured in the past year. 

Kotter has exhibited since the early 1990s throughout Europe, East Asia, and the United States and his works are included in both public and private collections worldwide, including the Kinetica Museum, London and the Kunstmuseum Celle, Germany.