Stefan Annerel vs. Bülent Evren, DUEL

At this two-person exhibition, the works of a Flemish Belgian and a Turkish inhabitant of Amsterdam engage in a duel.It is quite striking that both artists set out to work with the same technique, namely oil on canvas. Annerel painted blown-up check patterns, Evren geometrical forms.

In 1985 Evren started to experiment with painting on other materials and cutting these out. He changed to aluminium as a support in 1986 and from 1995 onwards figuration gradually started to dominate. Ares, the Greek god of warfare, first featured in his work in 2001; at DUEL, Evren also presents Ares' female counterpart, Amores.

Annerel changed from canvas to a combination of various materials as a support in 2005. His explorations in this area have resulted in a mixture of glass, paint and resin on panel, the artist using the glossy, dripping resin to finish the work. These are actually three-dimensional collages that sparkle with the pleasure of play. 

The participants in this duel are not equal, i.e. the contrasts are great. Figuration versus abstraction. The lightness of two millimetre thin aluminium versus the weight of centimetres thick synthetic resin. The size of the works, too, is particularly different. But do these differences determine the outcome?Disparate with regard to shape, equals with regard to courage. The public senses the tension and enjoys this trial of strength.