Matti Braun Untitled, 2019

The series of grey silks constitutes a culmination of Matti Braun's engagement with painting through a number of culturally specific practices.

The rectangular image shows an apparently seamless progression from light to dark shades. There is a slight sheen to the silk as it catches the light, creating a shimmering effect. The dye process has its roots in the artist's investigation and appropriation of traditional techniques of textile production often used for religious or ritualistic purposes.

The works draw on his early black and white geometric batiks. Since 2014 the artist has developed a series of seamless color gradations on finely woven silk in brilliant pastels and subsequently in deeply saturated bright color schemes. Braun returns to the limitations of a black and white color scheme but with the luxuriance of his recent series on smooth, finely woven silk.