Pavel Zoubok Gallery

STEFAN SAFFER creates intricate abstract compositions from single sheets of painted, cut and folded paper. Using an economy of means, he establishes a complex system of formal and thematic relations. His vibrantly colored works defy categorization, mining the expressive spaces between drawing, painting and sculpture. Continuing a tradition of hard-edged abstraction rooted in the paper cut-outs of Henri Matisse and the painterly juxtapositions of New York School artists such as Fritz Bultman and Lee Krasner, Saffer takes a decidedly methodical albeit intuitive approach. Drawn from printed sources and basic paper materials, these double-sided works may be traced to their origin and can conceivably be unfolded to reveal a single form or element. Through his process, Saffer carves out a space for the viewer that resists repetition and facile interpretation.