05/26/2026
Where mark making is both the subject and the object of a pictorial practice. In the Swiss artist new show “pontes and arbores” at .mcenery.gallery her paintings utilize photographic, printing and painting techniques to an energetic and playful effect.
“In her ongoing practice, Pia Fries creates expansive abstract works that blend oil painting techniques with screen-printing. Her newest compositions utilize an intricate mixed-media approach, integrating images of wood and accumulated paint from her palette screen-printed directly onto wood panels. The works are inherently self-referential in their materiality and content.
The usage of photography and screen printing embedded in the work is an essential component of the paintings. Pia Fries has, in many respects, developed a unique visual alphabet, the meaning of which is only revealed through the interplay of the individual elements.
Pia Fries’ material research seeks an “aspiration that clearly exceeds mere reproduction,” offering a contrast to our oversaturated world of digital images. This methodical approach to artmaking is not simply about depicting an image, but about engaging with the physical substance of the mediums themselves.”