The layering process of making these works is creating a weave of form and movement/spray marks that I would prefer to describe as human traits.
I like to think of these traits as being dominant/ subordinate, confident/ not confident, socially competent/ not socially competent, giving space/taking space, etc. The chosen colors and how they are portioned in relation to each other directly alter the paintings temperament which — to me — makes them truly human-like while being paintings, simultaneously.
Like hybrids.

Martin Kozlowski . Hybrids

In the realm of painterly language, gestural marks are said to demonstrate the physical presence of their author and sometimes offer glimpses of an emotional state. By contrast, the grounds upon which these bursts of activity unfold usually receive less critical attention. This convention implies that positive assertions activate a passive container. Martin Kozlowski uses this inherited dichotomy against itself, rendering quietly complex spaces in which no element is passive. While the works appear to follow a graphic logic—lighter shapes amid noticeably darker fields—this impression of stability quickly evaporates. As we confront his canvases, it becomes clear that the gaps and pauses between forms are not silent spaces. Passages that at first appeared subdued soon become powerful forces dominating the space around them. These inversions call into question our habits of perception and the certainty of our judgements. The energy of these compositions comes from the active entanglement of the entire surface. By collapsing the distinction between signal and noise, Kozlowksi’s work demands that we grapple with the full spectrum of his vision.

Through skillful masking and layering, Kozlowksi’s paintings explore the tension that arises between the implied volume of a gradient and the flattened contour of drawing. Elements that suggest a rounded form are quickly contradicted by overlapping linear edges. Many of these whisps of color forge connections across the canvas, as if they yearn to reunite with their estranged relative. The dialogue between shapes in these works feels endless and irreducible. Looking at these compositions, I have the feeling that they are never finished unfolding and that the only real limit is my patience as a viewer. By simplifying his language and avoiding direct visual references, Kozlowski bestows this tender intricacy on an unnamable entity. Without resembling a physical body, this work contains the type of interrelated complexity that I associate with a personality. Spending time with these paintings involves confronting our own tendencies towards judgement, and this quality gives Kozlowski’s work an understated politics. The gap between what we presume and what we perceive will always exist, but this work helps us become more sensitive to the peculiar contours of our subjectivity.


Peter Brock

Martin Kozlowski *1984
Born in Stockholm, Sweden
Lives and works in Stockholm and Frankfurt/M

represented by Wilma Tolksdorf/Frankfurt

2017
Meisterschüler Klasse Amy Sillman, Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste - Städelschule, Frankfurt/M

2016
Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste - Städelschule, Frankfurt/M

2014
BA (Hons) Fine Art, Goldsmiths University of London, London, UK

2013
Representing Goldsmiths BA at the HFBK & Goldsmiths exchange, Hamburg

Awards and grants

2018
Prizewinner of the Vera and Göran Agnekils Stipend, Royal Academy of Art, Stockholm, SE

2012
Shortlisted for the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize, London, UK