VISIONARY REVUE

KALI

THE GREAT PYRAMID

PARIS - FALL 2004

a 6 page article by

      The art of Mati Klarwein manifests, above all, a movement towards transcendence. Each of his images presents, not only a sensuously alluring figure or landform, but also arranges them in such a way as to intimate a hidden and higher aspect. That is why a beautiful black woman becomes the virgin of The Annunciation or his perspective onto a landscape assumes ever greater aerial heights.
      'Visual games' abound, such as perceptual echoes, mirror images, vibratory colors and the free exchange of figure with abstraction. Many of these perceptual distortions seem to evoke the world of hallucinogens, but the most psychedelic aspect of his work, it should be noted, is its hyper-realist execution, lending an astounding 'presence' to all the objects he renders.
      When the artist died in March of 2002, he left behind a rich variety of works, often accompanied by witty and insightful remarks. Unfortunately, no clear account of his life has been written, and so we are left with a number of tantalizing references.
      At the risk of misrepresention, I have nevertheless gathered together many of these disparate fragments and attempted to present them as a brief biographical sketch - in an effort of remembrance. Memorial texts by Robert Venosa and Alex Grey round out the presentation. But most important of all is allowing the artist himself to speak, as much as possible, in his own words.

                                    L. Caruana