Ruth Campau breaks away from the traditional two-dimensional canvas, transforming painting into immersive, spatial installations.
By experimenting with a wide range of materials, she treats her work surface as potentially infinite. Her artistic practice centers on the endless repetition of a single brushstroke—a physical act dedicated to documenting her sheer presence in the moment.
At first glance, Ruth Campau’s gestures exude a lightness and ease reminiscent of a gymnast's fluid movements. Yet, behind this seductive, sensory surface lies an intense Sisyphean labour. Every single movement serves as a physical trial, testing the body’s endurance and its inherent imperfections. This demanding physical process results in meters-long panels, which Campau subsequently cuts and reassembles into precise geometric and vibrant colorful patterns.
In the monoprint series This Moment for You, Ruth Campau captures distinct brushstrokes and moments in time, weaving them into unique, serial compositions. Art critic Louise Steiwer describes the series:
"One can see how the same brush stroke changes character, expression and quality depending on the colour it is printed in; how a mark that can appear fierce and expressive in one colour seems delicate and calligraphic in another; and how different colours give the brushstroke an expression that can be opaque or transparent, flat or sculptural."
The series' title points to a vibrating, ambiguous present. The works encapsulate both the raw, energetic movement behind the brushstroke and the deep stillness that follows immediately after. It is a frozen state - transferred from the plate to the paper - preserved for posterity and passed on to us.
