Material Syntax_Andrew Bick & Henrik Eiben

Bartha_contemporary is pleased to announce Material Syntax, an exhibition bringing together recent works by British artist Andrew Bick (b. 1963) and German artist Henrik Eiben (b. 1975). Both artists are renowned for their distinctive yet complementary approaches to geometric abstraction, playfully interrogating and extending traditions rooted in European modernism, Concrete Art, and Constructivism.

Andrew Bick’s Compendium Tree exemplifies his research-driven exploration into abstract systems and material processes. Created as an Aubusson tapestry hand-woven in New Zealand wool, this work overlays a numerical grid referencing Paul Klee’s pedagogical tree drawings with the rhythmic structure of the Fibonacci sequence. The tapestry’s intricate, layered geometry invites close inspection, compelling viewers to carefully unravel its complex visual structure. By translating his painterly logic into textile form, Bick deliberately embraces the collaborative and unpredictable aspects of weaving, embedding the essence of his preparatory drawings and collages into the very fabric of the piece. Andrew Bick is represented by the Hales Gallery in London and Galerie von Bartha in Basel.

Henrik Eiben's sculptural wall works Voyager Wanda and Giggle London combine cashmere, mouth-blown glass, wood, and perspex into vibrant texture, form, and colour interplays. Eiben explores abstraction through the intuitive juxtaposition of materials, resonating with sensory and visual contrasts. In Voyager Wanda, precisely angled panels interspersed with richly coloured textiles and a luminous glass shard illustrate his sculptural practice. By comparison, Giggle London integrates sleek wooden elements and coloured perspex alongside soft cashmere felt, further blurring the boundary between sculpture and painting, structure and intuition. These complementary yet distinctly individual approaches highlight Eiben’s non-dogmatic stance in his work, emphasising spontaneity and material experimentation.

The exhibition title, Material Syntax, encapsulates the artists’ shared vocabulary of geometric abstraction, colour, and materiality yet underlines the distinctly different outcomes. While Bick methodically layers and integrates structured elements, Eiben assembles materials with a spontaneous logic, resulting in artworks that are at once rigorous and playful. Together, their works create a dynamic dialogue, inviting viewers to consider how modernist principles continue to evolve and find new expressions within Contemporary Art.