Philipp Mager

Beute der Nacht

Crystalline Likenesses

The work of Philipp Mager (b. Cologne, 1966; lives and works in Berlin) spans a wide range of techniques, from classic painting on canvas and glass painting to printmaking. His art synthesizes influences from Constructivism, the New Objectivity, and a magical Surrealism. Mager is a highly self-critical painter. What passes his strict standards is extraordinarily sensitive, both atmospheric and rigorously composed. An air of ambivalence surrounds each work, something that is visible yet impossible to localize, pervading his entire oeuvre. These unusual slippages are what make his art distinctive and draw us in with an almost uncanny allure. The pictures he creates combine crystalline clarity with a dark aura of mystery.

In the publication Beute der Nacht, the artist arranges his kaleidoscopic paintings in an intimate dialogue with his poems and poetic meditations. With an eassy and interview by Michael Stoeber.