The recent work of Michael Biberstein is not, despite the title he has given to this show, a radical departure from his previous work. It rather is a refinement of his previous concerns. The elements of landscape, though still visible in some of the works, are giving way to a larger, more cosmic space. More colours are appearing, sometimes in seemingly impossible combinations, the internal structure of the paintings is becoming more ephemeral. It takes a couple of minutes for our eye to adjust and enter in to these works, but then suddenly we find ourselves in deep space, lightyears away from the surface of the painting. Indeed, looking at these new works we get the strange feeling that it is in fact our gaze that is keeping them from dissolving completely, that looking away might just make them disappear.
The surfaces seem to vibrate at their own rhythm, the colours seem to dance with us as we change our angle of view and as the light changes throughout the day.
Maybe this musicality is not surprising if we know about Biberstein's extensive involvement with music. Indeed, the show includes the installation of a collage of sounds, entitled White Haze. This is a collaborative work of Michael Biberstein with the eminent musician and sonoplastition Manuel Mesquita, also known as Manuel Lobo, founding-member of the Portuguese power-trio Norman. The composition consists of recorded sounds, both ready-mades and instrumental, that create a low-volume sound-ambient for the show.