Ben Willikens became known for his paintings of vacant spaces where time seems to stand still.
For a long time gray dominated his palette and his subtle orchestration of light and
perspective attracted both beholders and interpreters who found a theater of absence in his
work. Yet Willikens's oeuvre is more extensive and multifaceted than previous catalogues from
his many exhibitions have led to believe. Now this comprehensive overview is the first to
present the entire range of his oeuvre. In more than 250 pictures from his drawings of the
1960s to the Anstaltsbilder (institution paintings) and his Abendmahl (Last Supper) of the
1970s the Gegenräume (counter spaces) and ORTE (SITES) to the ceiling painting known as the
Leipziger Firmament (2014) this survey recapitulates an artistic development in which car
paint watercolors drawings photography gouaches collages acrylic paint and silkscreens
have played a role-and for the last decade also the entire range of colors. (German Edition
978-3-7757-4296-2) Exhibition: Kunsthalle Weishaupt Ulm 16.10.2016 - 26.3.2017
