Robert Janitz's 'Oriental Lumber' exhibition at Meyer Riegger Berlin presents three distinct artistic forms

Robert Janitz's first solo exhibition with Meyer Riegger gallery, titled 'Oriental Lumber,' ran from September 17 through October 25, 2014 at Friedrichstraße 235 in Berlin. The show featured three distinct bodies of work: plant sculptures crafted from cut sheet metal, portraits depicting the backs of heads, and large-scale abstract paintings created with layered paint, wax, and flour. Janitz's artistic approach draws inspiration from Willem de Kooning's early black-and-white abstractions and the canvas works of Actionists from the 1960s. The exhibition title references a hardware store in Bushwick where Janitz shops, reflecting his interest in workmanlike materials like glue and wax. One notable sculpture, 'Margiela Fontäna' (2014), presents a sleek, polished plant form larger than human scale, positioned casually in the gallery space. The portrait series consists of featureless, generalized heads created through coiled brush marks and impasto patches, suggesting urban anonymity. Abstract paintings such as 'Rhythmische Klangformen: Eine Studie' reveal their physical making process through visible brushstrokes and material buildup. This marked Janitz's first exhibition in his native Germany, showcasing a cross-section of his varied artistic investigations.