Peter Zimmermann: VIRTUAL PARADIGMS

Nunu Fine Art New York is pleased to present VIRTUAL PARADIGMS, a solo exhibition by German conceptual painter Peter Zimmermann. The artist is widely recognized for his vibrant works created from glossy layers of epoxy resin. Zimmermann's art seamlessly merges abstract and figurative associations, blurring the boundaries between painting and digital media. 

VIRTUAL PARADIGMS features Zimmermann’s latest brightly colored, conceptually complex works. His compositions, meticulously created from interlocking and superimposed pours of pristine chromatic resin, range from undulating waves that recall organic shapes to neatly stacked geometric forms. The semi- translucent layers create an interplay between light and color that shifts with each viewer’s gaze. This visual dialogue between purely abstract and subtly representational elements evokes the evolving relationship between art and technology. 

Zimmermann's work is rooted in pictorial and text-based source material, such as the digitally designed book covers that he parodied early in his career. The artist transforms his original references, using tools like Adobe Photoshop to identify and extract underlying patterns, and then transfers the formal components onto canvas. His works examine the current conditions of visual representation, highlighting the impossibility of viewing an image without simultaneously engaging with the screen parameters, algorithms, and software prejudices that mediate so much of our visual experience today. 

Though Zimmermann's creative process begins digitally, his works take their physical form through his meticulous handling of epoxy resin. Like Helen Frankenthaler and Morris Louis before him, Zimmermann navigates the interplay between chance occurrences and deliberate choices. The effortless, polished appearance of his canvases belies the elusive conjunction of proficiency and luck necessary to produce each finished composition. Immediacy and unpredictability are inherent in epoxy resin. Working with the mercurial substance is an act of continuous interpretation, as the artist partially accepts and partially redirects each vibrant flow to generate captivating transformations of light and color. 

The digital era's challenge, Zimmermann believes, lies in managing existing image populations rather than creating entirely new forms. Throughout his 40-year career, he has explored the relationships between text, image, and mass-market products. His previous experiments include epoxy posters, algorithm-based abstract paintings, and sticker pieces. Zimmermann’s current artworks reflect the history of digital design and image-making, uniting the past and present while posing questions about the future relevance of painting. By offering a personal perspective on one of the most pressing artistic issues of the 21st century, he establishes his critical position as a conceptual painter in the digital era. 

IMAGE CAPTION
Peter Zimmermann, 2982, 2023, epoxy on canvas, 47 1⁄4 x 39 3/8 inches (120 x 100 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Nunu Fine Art.