Frank Coldewey

Website frank-coldewey.de

The Carpenter effect is a phenomenon whereby observing a particular movement triggers a tendency to perform that very movement. Sometimes, merely thinking about the movement is enough to set it in motion. The practice of pendulum divination and the use of a Ouija board are, in a sense, linked to this effect.

In his current works, Frank Coldewey utilises the Carpenter effect in a manner that has nothing to do with the occult. Rather than referring to the supernatural, the artist pursues entirely earthly goals and demonstrates how the here and now oscillates between chance and intention. His square paintings feature lines that have been dripped onto the canvas; they are mostly vertical, sometimes straight, sometimes curved. The production process employs physical movements to explore how much control the Carpenter effect affords the artist over his work – and, at the same time, how much chance the artist allows in his paintings.

Artist text © KANG CONTEMPORARY