Sarah Bechter’s approach to painting interrogates the ambivalences of artistic production, blurring distinctions between the private and public, work and leisure, surface and line. Her canvases exist as individual subjects, engaging in a vivid dialogue with one another. Utilizing a wide range of techniques and references, Bechter questions the validity of the images she creates and of painting itself, inviting viewers to a game of hide-and-seek by often only hinting at protagonists and objects, infusing her works with a mysterious, dreamy atmosphere. In her large-format paintings, Bechter dynamizes form, space, color, and line, presenting human-like figures as fluid, almost magical beings. Even objects are imbued with animated qualities, emerging as flickering flames from the fountain of artistic creation. Through finely glazed layers of oil paint and pigment, she interweaves questions about the social role of the individual with personal experiences, shaping the relationship with potential viewers in the context of prevailing power structures. ...
