Ulf Puder's Apocalyptic Bungalows at Ana Cristea Gallery

From January 13 to February 19, 2011, Ana Cristea Gallery in New York City presented an exhibition of paintings by Leipzig artist Ulf Puder. Born in 1958, Puder studied at Leipzig’s Academy of Visual Arts and remains based in that city, belonging to the same East German generation as Neo Rauch. His works depict bungalows and small houses teetering on destruction, often facing imminent storms or apocalyptic scenarios. The painting Offenes Gelaende (2010) shows a tornado touching down near low buildings, while Waldbad (2010) features three bungalows fronting a shallow pool with brightly colored wooden panels filling open walls. Another 2010 work, Abland, presents architectural forms balancing precariously like spilled geometric blocks. Puder’s compositions hover between representation and abstraction, with sharply painted right angles and murky skies creating an artificial, menacing atmosphere. The structures often have open faces filled with vertical planks in pastel colors, facing threatening skies. No human figures appear in these scenes, which emphasize mystery and foreboding. His enigmatic paintings suggest a day of reckoning is near, with architecture rendered vulnerable to natural or unnatural forces. The exhibition was located at 521 West 26th Street, between 10th and 11th avenues in New York City.