Studio A. R.

Studio A. R. (2014) is part of Berend Strik's Deciphering the Artist's Mind series, documenting the studio of Arnulf Rainer — the Austrian painter known for his overpaintings of photographs and faces, whose studio Strik visited and documented.

Rainer is himself famous for transforming found images through overpainting — a practice that directly parallels Strik's own textile interventions into photographs. The two artists share an interest in how images can be made to speak beyond their original intentions.

Strik's visit to the Rainer studio was included in his exhibition at Jack Tilton Gallery (October–December 2014), which explored "the idea that the artwork within a studio context and even the studio itself acts as a metaphor for the creative process."

The stitched photograph of the Rainer studio creates a layered conversation between two artists who share a commitment to transforming existing images — one through paint, the other through textile.

Sources: Jack Tilton Gallery · Mercatorfonds