Wyatt Kahn's 'Variazioni sull'oggetto' at Galleria Civica di Trento

Wyatt Kahn (New York, 1983) presents 'Variazioni sull'oggetto' at Galleria Civica di Trento, curated by Margherita de Pilati, running until October 2, 2016. The exhibition explores Kahn's unique approach to painting, which eschews brushes, paint, and drawn contours. Instead, color emerges from dyed fabrics used as a base, revealed through layers of superimposed canvas. Irregular grooves between panels replace outlines, making painting akin to sculpture. Kahn's work references 1970s American art, Minimalism, and Pop Art, but develops an original language blending abstraction with figuration. Seriality and variation through different materials and colors are evident, yet he softens tactile effects, focusing on monochrome and the interplay of solids and voids in large polyptychs reminiscent of Ellsworth Kelly. Imperfect forms invite viewer participation. The gallery space is adapted for large works featuring onomatopoeic writings, while other rooms present shaped canvases suggesting rock formations or map portions, as seen in 'Untitled (18)' from the Righi Collection and works shown at T293 gallery in Rome in 2013. 'Little Squeeze' (2016) interprets the paint tube as an element of aggregation or layering.