Robin Seir
The Bærtling Scholarship 2023
Robin Seir works with monochromatic paintings in black or copper. Over the surface, he repeats one or more simple geometric formations in combinations that, in turn, form clusters that can be mirrored across the entire canvas. The canvases measure either 190 x 70 or 37 x 26 cm, giving them proportions that either resemble a full-length figure or a portrait. The paintings thus oscillate between being an object, equal to the viewer, and being a surface that engulfs the field of vision.
Similar to Olle Bærtling’s paintings, Seir’s compositions create strong dynamic tensions that both affirm and challenge the boundaries of the canvas. Bærtling experimented with shifts between artworks, often in series, using the same type of color field to create a limited number of versions. Seir’s paintings can also be described as sequential, but here, the patterns and reports of individual paintings potentially create endless possible combinations between the works.
The consistent rigor in Robin Seir’s paintings provides an exciting contrast to Bærtling and demonstrates another path in exploring what the latter called “open form.”
In this way, Robin Seir can be said to continue Olle Bærtling’s exploration of painting and its relationship to both space and viewer, while making entirely different choices. This combination justifies him as the recipient of the Bærtling Scholarship for the year 2023.