A series of metal table-like structures with beige blocks on them in a white gallery space; against the back wall a series of pale green sticks of various heights are leaned against the wall. All pieces by Gereon Krebber, and on view at Galerie Christian Lethert.
Installation view of "Gereon Krebber: Kompartimento" (2024). Courtesy of Galerie Christian Lethert, Cologne.

Based in Cologne, Germany, Galerie Christian Lethert is presenting two simultaneous solo shows that each offer unique perspectives of the relationship between medium, light, and space. Both on view through January 17, 2025, “Szelit Cheung: Mado” and “Gereon Krebber: Kompartimento” presents visitors of the gallery an opportunity to explore both each artist’s individual practice, as well as the dialogues that arise between the two.

Szelit Cheung, Mado XXIII (2023). Photo: Luisa Stricker. Courtesy of Galerie Christian Lethert, Cologne.

Krebber, a German artist recognized for his work in sculpture, focuses on the immediate physicality of his chosen mediums—as well as the ways in which they are inherently perceived. Working through a critical reexamination of materials, the works included in “Kompartimento” speak to his meticulous and comprehensive studies. Installed across two floors at the gallery, each work, from heavy bronzes hanging overhead at the start of the show to titular exhibition works made from ceramic hanging along the walls, the works become as physically engaging as they are visually.

Installation view of “Gereon Krebber: Kompartimento” (2024). Courtesy of Galerie Christian Lethert, Cologne.

In Cheung’s solo, the Hong Kong-based artist engages in intricate studies of light and space, and the myriad ways perception of light can inform understandings of reality. The title of the show, “Mado,” is the Japanese word for window, which operate as a conceptual starting point for each work in the show. Working from sketches and a physical model, he can manipulate and observe the conditions of light and its effect on color and depth. These studies are then translated into his paintings, which range from small to diminutive in scale and require close-up looking.

Installation view of “Szelit Cheung: Mado” (2024). Courtesy of Galerie Christian Lethert.

Krebber and Cheung’s exhibitions together offer a detailed and complex interrogation of some of the core tenets of art making, while also providing singular insight into each respective artist’s practice and thought process. While Kebber’s work invites reflection on the physicality and tactility of his sculptures and the mediums from which they were made, Cheung’s explorations tap into opticality and the boundaries of human perception. While taken individually they speak to distinctive avenues of artistic inquiry, side-by-side they speak to greater concerns that parallel the trajectory of art history itself.

“Gereon Krebber: Kompartimento” and “Szelit Cheung: Mado” are on view at Galerie Christian Lethert, Cologne, through January 17, 2024.