Kathryn Markel Fine Arts is excited to announce an upcoming exhibition of paintings by Peter Hoffer, Impressions de la Région Toulousaine, ie. Impressions from the Region of Toulouse. It will be Hoffer’s fourth solo exhibition with the gallery and will take place at the gallery’s 529 West 20th Street location from March 28th to May 4th, 2024.

“When in a natural setting such as a forest, we are sensitized to our surroundings in a manner that we don’t experience in any urban setting. The silence of a tree, blade of grass, or a moss-covered stone fills our periphery with a sense of familiarity and comfort.” – Peter Hoffer

Hoffer’s paintings are more relational than representational – he explores trees as protagonists. His approach to each painting is narrow,  he singles out a tree and positions it at eye level. As a result, he creates an uncertain vantage point of the tree’s dimension – either the viewer is close to it and it is small, or further away and the tree happens to be massive. Regardless of the viewer’s perception, a confrontation happens that humanizes the tree itself. In Hoffer’s words, “the forest becomes a stage; the tree becomes an actor.”

Each painting in the exhibition is coated with a layer of resin, simultaneously distancing and immersing the viewer. Surfaces have been marked, scratched, cracked, and seared, much like the terrain itself. The surface layers of these works are dynamic, balancing between the various states of the seasons. The random etching of the surface calls to task a questioning of materiality and value. The works fluctuate between rest and discontent. The preciousness of the objet d’art, as well as the peripheral landscape represented, is rediscovered like an artifact. The suggested neglect through time is salvaged, preserved, and displayed. The markings on the paintings, inconsistencies in the resin surface, and the unrefined finishing of the canvas structure allude to elements outside of the artist’s control. The result invokes a sense of abandon and a hint of a work in transition. As the paintings draw attention to areas of the landscape that can be considered “less than spectacular,” they force the viewer to search for landmarks or meaning within the composition.

Peter Hoffer lives and works in Montreal, Canada, and Paris, France. He exhibits extensively throughout Canada, the eastern United States, and internationally. His work is placed in private collections worldwide  including the Musée des Beaux Arts in Montréal, the Musée Du Québec in Québec City, Bombardier, Royal Bank of Canada, and the corporate collections of Fidelity Investments USA, Banque Nationale, and Michelin Canada Inc.