[from the pressrelease]
Adrian Ghenie employs a new drawing technique to construct the complex compositions of his figurative works. He applies charcoal to a paper primed for use with oil paint, which allows him to lay down, erase and rework his mark making. He is able to ‘rehearse’ his paintings through these preparatory studies ‘without the stress of being precise’, enacting what he describes as a ‘drawing based on mistakes’.

This innovative drawing technique informs new developments in Ghenie’s painting practice. Earlier works are characterised by thick impasto and gestural swathes of paint applied with a palette knife. In contrast, the recent works take a more linear approach as the medium is applied thinly with a small brush. He compares these works to ‘coloured drawings’, collapsing clear distinctions between mediums in a style evocative of the figurative works of Austrian artist Egon Schiele.