Imi Knoebel Figura Sin, 2021

Imi Knoebel's Figura Sin (2021) is irregularly shaped with no straight lines or geometric angles. The unusual form was inspired by the shape of Bikini Atoll, which was the site of 23 nuclear weapons tests by the United States. Made from an aluminium panel, a material which the artist has used increasingly since the 1990s, it is mounted at a slight distance from the wall, which makes it appear weightless. This expansion into the room highlights the sculptural quality of the work, which Knoebel counterbalances with its animated, painterly surface. The dark blue hues slightly counterbalance the feeling of levitation and buoyancy, lending the work gravity. Together with the artist’s gestural scribbles, the colour appears almost detached from the picture plane as though taking on a life of its own.